Seriously Unexpected
by Miss-Adair
Summary: Alvin never saw it coming. He didn't want to have feelings for her. Why her! Why Jeanette! . . . a SxJ and AxB story. Promise. UPDATE: ALTERNATE ENDING WITH AxJ
1. Chapter 1

**I do NOT support AlvinxJeanette. ******This story _WILL_ be SimonxJeanette. **It was created in a night of anger and laughter respectively. Now that I've started it, there's no stopping. The second chapter has already begun. It was going to be a one-shot, but it was getting too long. I like detail. So read if you want. Enjoy hopefully. And review please!**

 **I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks. Which is a bummer.**

* * *

 **Seriously Unexpected**

* * *

It started out innocent. Seriously. A test Alvin seriously needed to pass. An annoying brother who was peeved at him in that particular moment and would not assist. Nowhere else to turn. A friend who could never turn down another friend in need. Alvin thought nothing of it.

Until it hit him harder than anything else had in his entire life.

* * *

"Study on your own, Alvin. I'm tired of picking up your slack," Simon said firmly. He sat at his desk, pouring over his physics book.

"Oh, come on, bro. We can work through this. Together," Alvin said. So far his sweet-talk was not being as effective as he would have liked. "You can help me pass, and I can entertain you with jokes while we study. Ever heard the one about the aardvark?"

"Go away, Alvin," Simon said.

"Please, Simon? I need help here," Alvin said. He took to begging. His brother often broke down when it came to begging, but not always. Alvin hoped "not always" was not now.

This was a "not always" moment, though. Simon looked at his older brother who was on his knees, staring up at him with large eyes. The same eyes that earlier that week had a very mischievous look in them as they watched their latest prank unfold on an unsuspecting munk. Simon could still smell garlic on his fur and onion in his clothes. Being quarantined in the spare room for three days was not his idea of a good time. Normally, he would cave and allow Alvin the satisfaction of getting what he wants, but not this time. This time he will just have to fall on his face. He can't get away with everything.

"No." That was Simon's final answer. He turned back to his homework.

Alvin's face fell. That tone was unmistakable. The oldest chipmunk would not get his way.

"What do you expect me to do then?" Alvin burst out, getting to his feet.

"Get a different sucker to help you," Simon said.

"And what sucker genius do I know that would willingly help me?" Alvin asked, irritated.

Simon shrugged, completely disengaged emotionally from his brother's distress. "Dunno. You're popular. Pick someone."

"I said genius. I don't have any genius friends. I need at least a B to pass biology."

"Then I guess you're out of luck."

Alvin's hands dragged down his face. The frustration was evident in his rather childish way of stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind him. He considered it justified since he was out of options.

Theodore couldn't help him. He would be struggling just as much as Alvin, but no doubt Simon would help _him_. Their youngest brother was too cute and friendly to turn down. Alvin's other friends were not biology kind of people. They had complained about the big test for the past week. It was too late to apply for a tutor through the school. He wouldn't bully a nerd into doing the work for him. He was nicer than that. Brittany wasn't an option. She was smart enough, but studying with her was never a good idea. They never got anything done. Getting on each other's nerves—their idea of flirting—was far too fun to fully concentrate on anything else. Eleanor wasn't in the class. Jeanette couldn't. She was...

Wait.

Why wouldn't she be able to tutor him? Alvin paused halfway down the steps, staring at the bottom step, trying to come up with a good reason as to why he couldn't waltz over to the Miller household right now and beg for her help. Jeanette was in his class. She was smart—genius smart. She was nice. Surely she would help him.

Theodore noticed Alvin frozen on the steps from his spot on the couch. He turned away from the TV and called to his brother in concern. "Uh, Alvin? Anything wrong?"

Alvin shook his head. "Huh? What? Oh, nothing. Actually, now that I think about it. Everything's about to get a lot better!" With that cryptic message, Alvin went down the rest of the steps and ran out the door, grabbing his backpack on the way out.

He jogged the couple blocks to the Miller residence. Thankfully football season kept him in good shape. He relished the appreciative looks he got from the female population at school. Sophomore year was turning out to be a beautiful year. Friends, girls, and now all passing grades.

When Alvin reached the intended house, he rang the doorbell. He only had to wait a few seconds before the door opened. Pretty little Eleanor opened the door. She looked up at Alvin with an unsurprised, yet pleasant look.

"Hi, Alvin. Good to see you," Eleanor greeted.

"Hey, Eleanor. I'm here to see—"

"Don't worry, I'm already on it. _Brittany!_ " Eleanor called inside the house.

"No, no! Actually, I'm not here to see Brittany." Alvin's smile turned into a sheepish grin when Eleanor gave him a rather surprised look.

"You're not?"

"What is it?" Brittany came flouncing down the stairs, looking as put together as ever. When she saw Alvin she smiled. "Well, look who it is. Hello, Alvin."

"Hey, Brittany."

"So what is it this time? What do you want?" Brittany asked.

Alvin opened his mouth to speak, but Eleanor spoke before him. "He's not here to see you. Sorry, Brittany. I assumed too quickly."

"What?" Brittany looked as stunned as Eleanor had. "Then what are you here for?"

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to Jeanette," Alvin admitted.

The two sisters stared at him then at each other. They exchanged a few nonverbal signs before Eleanor opened the door further to allow Alvin in. Weird. This was the first time he felt awkward in this house.

"She's upstairs in her room," Brittany informed him.

"Thanks." Alvin headed up the stairs. When he passed Brittany, he lightly tugged on her pony tail.

"Hey!"

The chipmunk only laughed as he headed the rest of the way towards the third chipette's room. He knocked when he reached the intended door. It was only a second before he heard "Come in!" from inside. When he did, he saw Jeanette seated at her desk much like Simon was when Alvin had stormed out. After shaking off the sense of deja vu, Alvin quietly approached. Since Jeanette's back was to the door, she did not know it was Alvin who just came in.

"Hi there!" he exclaimed from right behind her.

The second eldest chipette gave a small squeak of surprise and jolted enough to knock a few papers onto the floor. When Jeanette finally turned, she came face to face with a grinning Alvin.

"Oh. Alvin. H-Hi. How are you?" Jeanette asked while trying to steady her heartbeat.

"I'm as awesome as always," Alvin answered confidently. He watched for a moment as Jeanette got to the floor and started picking up her papers. Alvin retrieved a few himself before handing them to the slightly flustered girl.

"Thanks," Jeanette said, taking the papers.

"No problem," Alvin said.

They stood there a moment in silence, avoiding eye contact.

"I think Brittany is in her room," Jeanette said helpfully. She turned away from Alvin and placed her papers back on her desk.

"Yeah, I know," Alvin said. "I'm not here for her."

"No?" Jeanette got the same surprised look her sisters had.

Alvin rolled his eyes. Was it really so surprising he didn't want to talk to Brittany for once? "No. I'm here to see you actually."

"M-Me?" Jeanette's features went from surprised to concerned. "Wh-What...Why? What do you need?"

"I was hoping you could help me with something. School stuff. The biology test is coming up, and I kinda need tutoring. A study-buddy if you will."

"Oh," Jeanette said. Not surprising. She was smart, she knew that, but having Alvin come to her for help with things like this was new. "Why not Simon? Or Brittany? They are also in the class and just as helpful."

"Heh heh. Yeah. About that...Simon's still mad at me for earlier," Alvin admitted. "Really he shouldn't be. It was hilarious."

Jeanette looked at the ground shyly before saying, "But he was the one that had to deal with the consequences, Alvin."

"Hey, so did I! I was grounded for three days. No TV, friends, or anything fun. We both suffered." By Jeanette's skeptical look, Alvin sighed. The look in her eyes made him feel guilty for the first time since the incident. "Ok, yeah. You're right. I might have gone a little too far, but now I'm really feeling the backlash. I need to pass this test with at least a B or I'll have no prayer of passing biology."

Jeanette still didn't look convinced. "What about Brittany? You two usually are good at studying together."

"You'd think so," Alvin laughed, "but it's kind of hard to get studying done when she's so easy to tease." When Jeanette didn't laugh, Alvin sighed. He ran his hands through the fur on the top of his head. "Listen, I'm not the easiest guy to be around sometimes. I make things hard for others, but I'm not bad. And I really could use a helping hand. Please, Jeanette? I need a friend. I'll...I'll take you out for ice cream as payment or take you to the next party I'm invited to. Just help me out here. I'd really appreciate it. _Please_."

Alvin didn't have to try and look pathetic. He was pathetic in that moment. It was that pathetic look that melted Jeanette's skeptical heart and had her smile.

"Ok, Alvin. I'll tutor you," she agreed.

"Really?" Jeanette nodded. Alvin's relief was so overwhelming that he dropped his backpack, picked up Jeanette, and swung her around in a suffocating hug. "You're the best!" Alvin exclaimed. At Jeanette's helpless squeak, Alvin released the suffering chipette. "Heh...whoops?"

"It's alright," Jeanette reassured him after gaining back her breath. There was another pause of awkward before Jeanette pushed up her glasses and asked, "Um, did you bring anything to study with?"

Alvin took his backpack, unzipped it, and then proceeded to dump the entirety of its contents onto the floor. Jeanette stared at the mass of unorganized papers and books.

"This...may take some work," Jeanette said, more to herself then the lightly blushing chipmunk across from her.

* * *

Three hours. It took three hours for some semblance of sanity to come out of the insanity that was Alvin's organizational system and for the two to finally begin finding good starting points.

"I'm hungry," Alvin finally complained, falling back onto the floor. Glancing at the clock, the chipmunk noticed it was only fifteen minutes before supper would be served in the Seville household. "Let's break for food."

Jeanette picked up a stack of papers and tapped them on a book cover to make them straight. "That sounds nice. I agree." She did not stutter or waver when she answered. Three hours with the boisterous Alvin was enough to make Jeanette feel comfortable being around him alone again. It had been a while since it was just the two of them.

"What's on the menu for the Miller's tonight?" Alvin asked, glancing over at the shy chipette.

"Lasagna. Miss Miller makes that at least every two weeks."

"Sounds delicious," Alvin says. "Better than what Dave's got cookin' tonight. I saw the funny-looking vegetables in the fridge. Delicious my tail. He can't fool me."

Jeanette giggled. That caused Alvin to turn his attention to her. He smiled. She smiled back. He thought he was beginning to fear being incapable of making her laugh. She looked nice when she smiled. It opened her up.

"Sorry to hear that," Jeanette said. "Would...W-Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Yeah I would!" Alvin got to his feet. He gave a hand to Jeanette who took it and stood up. "Let's get going so we can go right back to studying."

"But...Alvin—we can't tonight."

Jeanette's words stop Alvin from opening the door. He turns back to her, confused. "What? Why not?"

"Today's Wednesday. And tonight, well...Simon usually stops by and we study together." Jeanette's blushing cheeks and shuffling feet make Alvin frown.

"Oh yeah. Crud." Alvin sauntered over, grabbed Jeanette's arm, and began leading her towards the door. "Well, no reason we can't have a good supper tonight! Can we study tomorrow night?"

"That would be fine," Jeanette said.

"Good! Then it's settled. Let's eat!"

* * *

After a quick call to Dave, Alvin was all set to eat with the Millers. Dinner was a pleasant event. There was plenty to talk about, and Miss Miller was more than happy to entertain her chipmunk guest. Alvin, always the charmer, had everyone laughing by the end of the meal. Eleanor and Brittany no longer looked at him funny thanks to their eavesdropping on his plea for Jeanette to tutor him. It made sense since Jeanette was sharp. Good, Alvin thought. He hated getting weird looks.

When dinner finished up, Alvin cleared his place and set the dishes in the sink. Jeanette was about to help with the dishes—it was her turn that night—but Miss Miller shooed her away.

"Go ahead and spend time with your friend," Miss Miller said, pushing the teen girl towards Alvin.

"Oh, he's not staying—" Jeanette began to say, but Alvin cut her off.

"Thanks Miss Miller!" Alvin said loudly, putting an arm around Jeanette and leading her towards the stairs. "I appreciate it."

"Anytime dear." Miss Miller waved to the two as they disappeared.

"But, Alvin—"

"Don't worry," Alvin said, heading towards Jeanette's room. "I'll leave as soon as Simon gets here. Until then, let's have some fun."

"F-Fun? Like what?" Jeanette looked nervous as she followed Alvin into her room. Truthfully, the eldest chipmunk made Jeanette nervous. She never knew what to expect.

Alvin noticed her unease. Has he really become that unpredictable? He didn't want Jeanette to be scared of him. So instead of suggesting they make paper airplanes and sending them around the house, he took a deck of cards he saw on one of Jeanette's many shelves. Books mostly took up that space, but a few nik naks were scattered around here and there.

"A game of cards?" Alvin said. He set himself down on the floor and waited for Jeanette to follow. She eventually did.

"What are we going to play?" she asked.

"I'm guessing you're not a poker player," Alvin said. Jeanette shook her head. Alvin smirked. "How's Go Fish sound?"

Jeanette smiled. "Lovely."

Three games later a knock on the door interrupted the two teens. Simon poked his head through the door.

"Jeanette? Hey. I—Alvin?" When Simon caught sight of his brother, the smile that was on his face immediately turned into a confused scowl. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, you told me to find some other sucker to help me study, and I did." He gulped when he thought about the implications of that phrase. "No offense, Jeanette. His words, not mine."

Jeanette shrugged. "No offense taken. This is not the first time I've been called a nerd."

"I didn't say—"

"No offense taken," Jeanette repeated. She gave him a small smile to show she felt no ill will towards him, even pushing past her reserved tendencies to pat him on the hand. "Honestly."

Alvin stared at her in concentration as she began picking up the cards. That was...the quickest he's ever been forgiven. No bad feelings after the apology, a true apology. Not the fake ones that Alvin and his brothers say to each other to please Dave until they cool down on their own and truly forgive, going back to their normal routine. Jeanette really just forgave him. No strings attached.

"Jeanette, can I talk to you a minute? In private?" Simon asked. Alvin then remembered his presence. He watched as Jeanette took Simon's offered hand then noticed the look on Jeanette's face. It was open again, like when Alvin had made her laugh earlier. Simon brought that out in her without even making her laugh, and she looked just as nice now as she did then.

"Sure, Simon. I'll be right back, Alvin," Jeanette said. She closed the door to her bedroom, leaving Alvin alone.

Alvin did what any person would do when another person wanted a private conversation—he eavesdropped. Quickly, he scrambled towards the door, stuck his ear to the door, and listened.

"—can't believe you're helping him out," Simon was saying. He didn't sound happy.

"He begged me. Really, it isn't so bad."

"Yeah, the same guy who made me smell like I just came from a garbage dump for three days."

"It wasn't so...ok, it was bad, but he needed my help. I wasn't about to turn him down when I was his only option."

Alvin heard Simon sigh. "You're too good-hearted. He deserves to fall on his face every now and then."

Jeanette giggled. Alvin imagined her open expression that came with her laughter. "Oh, I think karma will catch up to him some other way. P-Please don't feel that I went behind your back or anything. I didn't do this because I was insensitive to your pain. I only—"

"Wanted to help," Simon finished for her. Simon gave a half-humored laugh. "Yes, I know. I can't imagine you going behind anyone's back, Jeanette. At least not on purpose. As I said, you're too good-hearted."

"I-I'm glad you think so, Simon," Jeanette said quietly, so much so that Alvin almost missed it.

"I, ahem—I-I've always thought so."

Alvin felt like gagging at this exchange. He knew Jeanette was kind of a sap, but Simon too? Not to say he was shocked or anything. The shuffling of feet brought Alvin scrambling back to his place in the middle of the floor. He managed back into his casual demeanor when the door opened so they suspected nothing.

"Done with secret talk of the day?" Alvin asked. He didn't give either of them a chance to answer. He grabbed his backpack and began stuffing his things into it. Jeanette suddenly appeared by his side, placing her hand on his once more, stopping his moments with no force whatsoever.

"No, no. Not like that. Please don't ruin all our hard work," Jeanette pleaded. The way Alvin looked at her then had her moving away, flustered at her forwardness. "I-I-I mean, i-if you want to. I don't mean—I didn't want you to start on square one again. You had done so well this afternoon."

Alvin continued to stare. Maybe it was her encouragement, her quiet demeanor, or her innocent insistence—whatever it was, it made Alvin want to do as she says. He wanted to make her happy. Make her proud. This was vastly different than any of his other tutors. He never felt as much motivation to do well as he did with Jeanette all of the sudden.

"S-Sorry I intruded. Organize however you want." Jeanette felt uncomfortable at the silence, but she perked up when she saw Alvin carefully place each item in his bag by subject.

"It'll save us a lot of time when we start studying tomorrow," Alvin said to explain his odd behavior. "We are studying tomorrow, right?"

Jeanette nodded. "Yes."

"Right after school? I'll walk straight over here," Alvin said, suddenly needing to hear reassurance of meeting up with her again.

"Right after school is fine," Jeanette confirmed. "I'll see you then, Alvin."

"See you then," Alvin said. He got to his feet and headed for the door. He answered Simon's silent look of disapproval with a smirk and a clap on the shoulder. "Later bro. She's all yours, until tomorrow afternoon."

Alvin didn't see Simon's acidic stare or Jeanette's blush as he left.

* * *

Simon forced his eyes to stay on the page before him. The mathematics behind light fractions. Interesting as it was for the sharp chipmunk, something else was drawing his attention away from homework.

The movement out of the corner of Simon's eye made him glance toward the chipette to his right. Jeanette had finished skimming through the desired passage in her physics book and had grabbed a piece of paper and pencil to write down the desired information. The pleased look on her face from understanding the difficult material was what kept Simon's gaze on her. He didn't even realize he was staring until she looked over at him and smiled.

Simon blushed, nodded rather sporadically, and turned back to his book. _Ok, no more_ , the blue-clad chipmunk told himself. The beautiful chipette became a bigger distraction as of late. Simon has caught himself observing her more and more often, sometimes without even consciously thinking about it.

"Simon."

"Yes?" Simon answered immediately to Jeanette's voice.

Jeanette moved closer towards the chipmunk. Simon was aware of each of her movements that brought her near. He caught a whiff of her scent as she leaned towards him. It wasn't until she put a paper in front of him that he took his attention away from her.

"Have you worked through this question yet? I can't seem to finish it off," Jeanette said.

"Oh. Not yet." No. Simon realized he was three problems behind Jeanette in their physics homework they were working through. When did he become so slow?

 _When did Jeanette become so fascinating?_ Simon's brain offered helpfully.

Never mind that. Now was his chance to catch up...and show off a little. Why not? He was smart. He may use it to impress the pretty girl beside him.

"I'd be happy to look through it, though," Simon said, taking the paper from her. "I'm sure we can figure this out."

This was why they studied together every Wednesday. Although Jeanette was a "whizz" as her sisters called her, she was not at the level in the sciences that Simon was. Likewise, Simon did not have the passion and understanding of literature that Jeanette thrived with, though he did not suffer with grades by any means. They balanced one another.

Simon and Jeanette worked through the problem in half the time most other students would. Jeanette thanked Simon then went back to her work. Simon went back to his...until Jeanette brushed a stray bit of hair out of her face, and Simon's eyes were riveted once more.

It is not a well-kept secret that Simon liked Jeanette. His brothers often called him out on it, sometimes so dangerously close to Jeanette that the second eldest chipmunk feared her hearing their taunting. Simon was the most reserved in his relationship with his counterpart. Theodore was always open with Eleanor. Alvin and Brittany fought and flirted enough to make anyone's head spin. Him and Jeanette? They quietly enjoyed one another's company, sticking by one another. Truth be told, Simon adored her. He always admired her, but that has grown since they hit high school. She was beautiful, caring, loyal, trusting, smart...his admiration of her equaled that of his admiration for knowledge.

But he couldn't tell _her_ that. Not yet. He hadn't even asked her out. Confessing his feelings would be skipping a few steps. However, in order to get to that step, he would need to ask her out. Yet Simon likes the delicate balance they had going. It was nice. Serene. Pleasant. Jeanette was one of the few people that could make him calm.

Maybe that's why the thought of Alvin monopolizing her time annoyed him. It certainly couldn't be because he was jealous. Seriously, her and Alvin? That's a laugh. Still, Alvin had a way of working his way into anyone's heart. He had charm. Not to mention he was only hanging out with her because she was willing to help him study, and he knows that Jeanette is important to him. Two blows against Simon are two victories for Alvin. Alvin played hard-ball.

A knock on the door brought Simon out of his thoughts. Miss Miller entered the room, two bowls in hand.

"Hello, children!" she practically sang in her boisterous voice. "I thought you two darlings could use a snack break. Always studying." Miss Miller clucked and shook her head. "Ice cream can fix that. Enjoy it and talk about something other than the next test."

"Thanks!" Jeanette chimed, taking her bowl.

"Thank you, Miss Miller." Simon gave his thanks while accepting his bowl. Yum, vanilla with chocolate syrup.

After the mother figure left (with the door still open halfway because of Miss Miller's rules that any male company should be entertained within easy view of other family members), Simon and Jeanette set aside their homework to instead work on eating their treat.

"That was nice of her," Simon said.

"That's Miss Miller," Jeanette said. "She's something wonderful."

"I concur," Simon agreed.

They continued eating while discussing subjects other than school. The newest topic was that of the new addition to the prehistoric era exhibit in the local museum.

"I can't wait to see it," Jeanette said. She began stirring her ice cream, smoothing it down to a fine mixture—looking similar to a milkshake.

"It will no doubt prove to be an enlightening and interesting experience," Simon said. He took a bite of his treat.

"I'm just sad I can't see it on its opening day. The newness of it would emphasize its brilliance."

"Why can't you see it?" Simon asked.

Jeanette shrugged. "I was unable to get someone to take my shift at the library. I'll just go the next weekend."

"Two weeks from now." Simon mulled over the thought. Him, Jeanette, and a museum. Maybe he should offer to accompany her. Not a date technically. They have gone to events like this before as friends. However, this time Simon could treat it like a pre-date. That would certainly help him to sort through a few of these odd feelings he cannot shake...not that he really wants to shake them. They are both torturous and pleasant.

Before Simon could speak, though, Jeanette addressed him. "You'll have to let me know how it is opening day. Spare no details."

"Oh. A-Alright. I'll do that." Simon contemplated whether or not to ask now, but asking to see the museum again with her would most certainly point out his feelings towards her. He didn't want that yet...right? Boy, this was difficult. He was making it difficult. Jeanette wasn't a math problem. She was a person. He needed to stop trying to solve each issue. The opportunity to ask her out would come eventually.

Jeanette took another bite of her ice cream. Simon watched without consciously realizing he was staring. It wasn't until she asked him a question again that he was brought back down to earth.

"Pardon?" Simon asked, slightly embarrassed to be caught out-of-mind once more.

"I asked if you wanted to see the brochure," Jeanette repeated. The chipette got up from the floor and walked towards her desk. After a bit of searching, she found it under a small stack of books. "Here it is! I want to show you what it said about—eek!"

Jeanette had been so absorbed in the brochure that she forgot about watching where her feet went. The floor was scattered with books and papers. One physics book was all it took to unbalance her.

The light squeal of the chipette had Simon on his feet, arms out. He managed to save Jeanette, but not without consequences to them both. Jeanette's ice cream bowl hit both her and Simon. Half her ice cream was down Simon's shirt and the other have was on Jeanette's face.

Jeanette quickly regained her footing. She touched her now creamy face and then turned her horrified gaze to Simon's shirt. The pale color contrasted greatly against the deep blue.

"O-Oh, Simon. I-I-I'm so sorry. I d-didn't meant to—here, I'll get a rag. Or we could wash it if that doesn't work...I'm very sorry, Simon," Jeanette said as she frantically moved. She set down her ice cream and headed for the door. However, she was abruptly stopped. Simon had yet to let go of her arms. Jeanette looked at him, puzzled.

Simon smiled at her to assure the flustered girl that everything was alright. Also, he didn't want her to leave just yet...she was cute when she was frazzled. "It's fine, Jeanette. No real harm done. Just a little detergent and vinegar, and it will be out in a snap."

"A-Are you sure? I can get Miss Miller to—"

"It really is fine, Jeanette," Simon assured again. That's when he realized the hold he had on her arm had slid down to her hand. He quickly pulled away before she noticed. "B-Besides, you're the one who looks like they could use a wash."

Jeanette went from concern to relief rather quickly. She brought a hand up to her face and touched the sticky substance that trailed down her cheek. She laughed lightly at her predicament. Simon chuckled with her. That turned into a decent amount of laughter. That laughter turned into full-blown hilarity when Jeanette took a bit of the ice cream on her face and put it on Simon's nose.

When the laughter began to die down, Simon looked over at Jeanette once more. Her amused expression, her shining eyes, her endearing personality all shone through as the chipmunk watched her.

It was in that moment that Simon was certain he would ask her out. Not tonight—not covered in ice cream. But he would. He most definitely would. With that decision came a sense of certainty and exhilaration that he only ever felt when on stage performing.

* * *

Later that evening, Simon returned with a complete turn-around in attitude from earlier that day. Both Alvin and Theodore knew immediately what it was. Spending time with Jeanette always perked up the second oldest chipmunk. He has never directly spoke of his feelings for his counterpart, but it has been obvious since their first meeting.

Alvin rolled his eyes when he heard his brother's slight humming (and smelled the out-of-place smell of chocolate ice cream) as he walked by where Alvin and Theodore were chilling on the couch. Could his brother be any more transparent? Of course, Simon would say the same for him. Alvin and Brittany continued their flirtatious, fitful sort-of relationship, but sometimes it really made Alvin tired. Again, that's part of the reason he asked for Jeanette's help instead of his counterpart's.

And Theodore...Theodore and Eleanor were adorable together. They never formally dated, but they were basically together nonetheless. No one ever bother the youngest siblings about it since they were always sweet with one another and sweet with their siblings. No ill will whatsoever. However, when it came to Simon and Alvin, they would poke and prod one another verbally about each other's somewhat relationships.

Tonight, however, Alvin didn't feel like it. He felt like he should brood, so he did.


	2. Chapter 2

**I feel I should explain some things. 1) I do not have a preferred world that this story takes place in, but the new 2015 Chipmunk series was the inspiration for this story.**

 **2) HUGE HINT HERE FOR THE ENDING OF THE STORY: I am a BIG supporting of the original pairings. I do NOT like the chipmunks paired with anyone other than their counterpart. However, this story is fun to write, and I enjoy messing with feelings. It's fun. I do not plan on deterring from the canon pairings. **

**3) My writing for this is jerky and short. It is how I feel this story should be written-you know, since I don't really like the pairings, I'm having a hard time digging into detail. Oh well. I hope you still enjoy it!**

* * *

The next day at school was uneventful for the most part. To Alvin it was another bore-fest. He never liked school and could never get the enthusiasm for it that his brothers always seemed to muster up. He instead focused on the social aspect of school, making friends and having fun while trying to ignore the unhappiness looming over him. That test being one of them.

When biology came around, Alvin's nerves kicked in. Usually, he didn't sweat stuff like this, but the test was a big deal. He did _not_ want to have to take this class over again. That's why, in the middle of class when the teacher's back was turned, he wadded up a piece of paper and tossed it at Jeanette who sat diagonal to him on his right. The paper bounced off the chipette's back harmlessly, but it still startled her. She glanced backwards, her eyes settling on Alvin. She gave him a confused frown but seemed relieved to know it was only him. She was no stranger to occasional bullying. Alvin gestured between the two of them then nodded frantically. Jeanette nodded and smiled in return.

Yes, they were still meeting up after school at her house that day.

Alvin settled back in his chair in relief. He noticed his brother's stare from directly to his left. Alvin shrugged and put his hands behind his head. So his brother was still mad at him for managing to find help. Whatever. Alvin can still come out on top. Take that, Simon.

* * *

"No, Alvin. I'm sorry, but that's not how genetics work," Jeanette said quietly but assuredly.

"But my version makes way more sense," Alvin defended.

"Aliens is not an acceptable explanation for this test." Jeanette took back the paper he was going off of. Yesterday, they had gone through his papers and decided what parts he was having trouble with. His lack of understanding with how genetics work is one of them. "Come on, Alvin. I know you know this. Think of the boxes."

Alvin rolled on to his back from where he was lying on the floor. He looked at Jeanette's now upside-down form. She looked tired but not worn out. By now, Simon would have sighed at least three times and threaten to not tutor Alvin anymore by his third mention of aliens. Jeanette has only sighed once and that was an hour ago. The chipmunk couldn't help but marvel at her patience. She was, like, the very essence of calm.

"Boxes. Right." Alvin retrieved a blank piece of paper and a pencil. He drew the necessary boxes, glanced once more at the problem in the book, and then tried to solving it. He was aware of Jeanette's gaze on the paper. He tried this time—really tried.

And he got it.

"That's it!" Jeanette's exclamation was a surprise to both of them. Jeanette, however, only looked a little embarrassed. She took Alvin's paper, skimmed it once more, and then praised him. "See? You did it perfectly. All you had to do was keep the dominant and recessive genes in mind. You even knew which genetics the child would have. Knowing the material is half the battle. You're halfway to acing the test!"

Alvin glanced at the paper then got to his feet, hands raised in the air with victory. "Yeah! I am the master of genetics. Nothing can defeat me."

Jeanette beamed at him. Alvin held out his hand, she looked doubtful for a moment but then took his hand. Alvin began dancing across the floor, stepping around the scattered papers and books while singing.

 _We're halfway there_

 _We're looking good now_

 _Nothing's gonna get in the way_

 _We're halfway there_

 _And looking back now_

 _I never thought that I'd ever say_

 _We're halfway there_

 _We're halfway there_

Much to Alvin's surprise, Jeanette began to sing along in the background, putting emphasis on the chipmunk's strong voice. It sounded good. Alvin knew Jeanette had a nice voice, but he didn't know she could match his so well. So they sang until the song ran out and Alvin lost energy in swinging the shy chipette around the room. He finished it off with a spin, making his female friend dizzy. She lost her balance and fell when Alvin let go. Alvin was by her side in a second.

"You alright?" Alvin asked, helping her to her feet. "Sorry about that."

"Oh it's alright," Jeanette said. She put her glasses back on straight. "This is hardly the first time I've fallen."

Alvin chuckled. "Yeah, I know. You certainly have enough klutziness for two. Oh—uh, no offense."

Jeanette waved it off. "It's alright. I know I'm clumsy. I'm just glad I have friends to help me up again." With that, Jeanette gave him a shy but genuine smile.

Wow.

Alvin paused. Ok, yeah. He always knew Jeanette was nice—so was Eleanor—but he never really realized she was so understanding. It's like it would take a world of hurt to even phase her. How much has he even talked to her since...ever? Maybe if he paid more attention to his friends, he would realize how wonderful they are. His "popular" friends were far too sensitive compared to Jeanette. The amount of hurtful gossip that passed between them all was unnerving. Why didn't he hang out with Jeanette more? Oh yeah, because of lack of shared interests.

"So...what now?" Alvin asked.

"A few more problems to make sure you have it down, then you are free to go," Jeanette said. She began gathering up the materials.

Alvin sat himself back down on the floor. Despite his hard-earned knowledge about genetics, he couldn't help but glance at Jeanette every now and then. That made him miss one of the three problems Jeanette had him do which made her give him a few more to make sure he fully understood the material. That made them go past their designated quitting time. Surprisingly, that was ok with Alvin. He didn't mind being in the presence of his calm friend.

A knock on the door interrupted their work. Eleanor poked her head in.

"Supper's almost ready. Care to join us again, Alvin? Miss Miller already set a place for you so actually you don't have much of a choice," Eleanor joked.

Alvin clapped his hands together. "Yes! If tonight's meal is anything like yesterday's, I'm all for it."

Eleanor smiled. "Good. Then clean up your stuff, wash your hands, and head downstairs. I don't want the food to get cold."

"Thanks, Ellie," Jeanette said.

Eleanor nodded then left, closing the door behind her.

That night's meal was as good as the one before.

* * *

Alvin's was sweating. He felt the need wring his hands and tug at his collar. Why were tests the one thing that got him nervous? He could go on stage and wow thousands without batting an eye, but a test? Nope. It left him a nervous mess. The teacher was standing at the front of the room, counting the number of papers he had in order to make sure every person got one. Alvin suddenly hoped he was one short.

Students were still filing in. His brother and Brittany took their spots to his right. The eldest chipmunk barely had time to wonder about Jeanette when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Jeanette give him an encouraging smile.

"You've got this, Alvin," Jeanette reassured him. "I know you do."

And just like that, Alvin wasn't so nervous anymore. Sure, he still felt his stomach churn, but he no longer felt the need to run screaming down the halls. He returned Jeanette's smile with one of his own before she took her seat.

After the tests were passed out, Alvin took a deep breath and looked at the first question.

Hey...he knew that one.

* * *

"So how was school today?" Dave asked his boys at the supper table that night.

"I got the highest markings for my pottery work in art today!" Theodore claimed excitedly.

"That's great, Theodore!" Dave praised his son.

"Yeah, Theo. Good work," Simon chimed in.

"How about you, Simon?" Dave asked.

"Nothing special. There was a biology test today, but I'm certain I passed. What about you, Alvin? It was pretty difficult material." Simon glanced over at his brother.

Alvin smirked. He hid his nerves well. "I actually think I aced it, Simon. Child's play."

Simon frowned. "Yeah, when you have one of the smartest minds in school drilling it into you two days beforehand."

"Nah, Jeanette doesn't 'drill'," Alvin said. He pushed the beans around on his plate, suddenly missing the Miller's family suppers. There was no identifying the meat Dave had placed before them. "In fact, I think she enjoyed tutoring me. I am quite entertaining, after all."

"Annoying, you mean," Simon mumbled.

Alvin simply shrugged. Simon was probably still bitter about the prank. Alvin felt proud at besting his brother in his attempts at making sure Alvin felt the "consequences of his actions". He hasn't failed in life. Nothing has yet been taken from him. He'd like to see the day when the world gets the better of him. It will be the same day pigs fly.

* * *

Saturday's were the best. The best of the best. They were the days when Dave gave the chipmunks the most freedom. The days when Alvin had some of his best adventures, created his best schemes, and made the most memories. Right now Alvin was heading down to the skate park. Showing up a few punks will do his ego some good. It hasn't blown up his head yet like Brittany claimed it would.

It was a beautiful day to be outside. The sun shone. A few clouds floated by lazily. Fall had yet to fully take its grasp on the world. Today was one of those days that were given right before the weather turned fowl in order to remind the population of what is to come in spring. Everyone was outside enjoying it right now. That become most evident when Alvin reached the park and saw plenty of people outside enjoying the day.

He saw one in particular that made him stop his journey.

Jeanette was in the middle of a grassy area in the park. She sat on a picnic blanket with her bag by her side. The shade of the trees kept the majority of the sunlight from her, only a few streaks peeking through here and there, one of which shone directly on the book placed in her lap. She was completely engrossed in its words. The purple-clad chipette did not notice the others around her, not that they really paid her much attention either. Jeanette sat up a little straighter, repositioned herself, and settled back down without her eyes ever leaving the page.

What drew Alvin's attention towards that particular spot, what made his heart suddenly flutter at the sight, and what made his feet redirect his path towards that particular sight—Alvin will never know.

"Hey, Jeanette."

Said chipette unintentionally ignored him.

"Jeanette?"

Still nothing.

"Jeanette!"

Jeanette jumped and clutched her book to her chest as if it would protect her from the threat. After realizing it was not a threat but only Alvin, Jeanette lowered the book and took a few deep breaths.

"Sorry," Alvin said as he sat himself down on the blanket across from her. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright," Jeanette said. "How are you?"

"Good. You."

"Fine."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Alvin felt absolutely ridiculous. Wasn't he the one that came over here? Wasn't he the one that always had something to say? Then what was happening now? He couldn't think of anything.

Thankfully, Jeanette broke through the weirdness. "Are you going skateboarding?"

"What? Oh—yeah!" Alvin lifted up his board. Its sleek red coloring shone in the rays of light. "I can do some gnarly tricks on this baby. Oh man, when I get going, there's no stopping the awesomeness."

Jeanette smiled. "Yes, I know. You're quite something on a skateboard."

Alvin gave her a curious look. "You know?"

"Well, you show off your skills plenty." Jeanette turned her face away and blushed. "A-And I've watched you in the skate park before. I hope you don't mind. I-I mean, I was j-just curious so I went over when you were there and watched."

The pride Alvin felt at having someone admire his skills swelled in his chest. His smirk turned into a smile.

"Yeah?" he said. "Cool."

"Yes. Very cool. Um…was there something you need?" Jeanette asked. She placed her bookmark back in her book and set it aside, giving Alvin her undivided attention.

Alvin's smile disappeared.

Why was he here again?

"Uh…you see, I—I was going to ask…you…to…I'm gonna buy you ice cream!" Alvin mentally patted himself on his back for thinking up an excuse so quickly.

"W-What?"

Jeanette was perplexed. Why would Alvin buy her ice cream? The chipette knew the chipmunk well enough to know that he wasn't just going to buy her ice cream. He needed something. What did he _really_ want? That was the question to ask.

Alvin nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah. Ice cream. Remember? I said I would buy you ice cream if you helped me pass my test."

"Oh. B-But we don't even know if you passed with a B," Jeanette pointed out, still surprised that he simply wanted to buy her ice cream as a thank you.

"Ah, I'm sure we got it. Might as well pay up now." Alvin stood up. He held out his hand for the shy chipette to take. "You coming? Or are you going to leave me in the ice cream parlor all alone?"

Jeanette gave the bold chipmunk one more uncertain look before shaking off her nerves and taking the offered hand.

The ice cream parlor was packed. A beautiful Saturday with families out enjoying the weather—there were plenty of kids looking to sweet-talk their parents into buying them the delicious treat.

After getting their ice cream, Alvin managed to find him and Jeanette a seat. It was one of the taller tables with the taller chairs that had their feet dangling above the floor. For a while the two friends stayed quiet for two reasons. One, they could not hear each other too well over the customers' chatter. Two, neither had too much to say.

This further reinforced Alvin's reason on why the two of them never hung out alone before. No common ground.

Although he only owed the chipette ice cream, Alvin felt he also owed her a decent time. That was why he tried starting up a conversation.

"So…what have you been up to today?" Alvin asked.

"Oh, nothing much," Jeanette said. "A little TV. A little homework. Then reading in the park."

"Do you read there often?" Alvin asked.

"As many Saturdays with nice weather that I can," Jeanette informed. "I adore reading outside."

"Yeah, why waste a nice day outside by spending it inside?" Alvin laughed. "At least, that's what Dave always tells us. I think I'm finally starting to agree."

Jeanette nodded. "We're going to miss this when the cold fall weather finally hits. I suppose I can always switch to movies."

"You like movies?" Alvin asked, then immediately mentally slapped himself for saying something incredibly stupid. He hoped Jeanette didn't think too much of it.

Her furrowed eyebrows and slight frown showed that she, in fact, did think a little of it. "Of course. I may enjoy books more, but movies are beautiful mediums to tell stories. I'm not that much of a nerd." That added tail-end joke was enough to show Alvin that Jeanette already forgave him for his slip-up.

Alvin laughed. "Ok, ok. You got me on that. I give props where props are due. What movies do you like?"

"A little of everything—except horror. I can't stand horror."

"Yeah, I figured," Alvin said, taking a large bite of his ice cream. "What's a few of your favorites?"

"Let's see… _I See A Star_ is one."

Chick flick. As expected.

" _When the Call Drops_."

Mystery thriller. Not bad.

"Oh, and _Beyond Reasonable Thought_. That's a wonderful movie."

" _What?_ " Alvin's exclamation startled the chipette and a few surrounding tables. "You like _Beyond Reasonable Thought_? That's like gotta be the best science fiction movie series of all time. It's your favorite?"

Jeanette gets beyond her surprise at the chipmunk's exclamation and nods. "Y-Y-Yes. I-It's full of intriguing ideas and unexpected outcomes. It really makes…makes a person think."

"Not to mention the absolute best action scenes in all of cinematic history!" Alvin adds. "What did you think when General Harris lost his arm against the slimy Guilden?"

"It was atrocious, but so important to his character. It completely remade him to fit his ultimate status. Riveting."

"I'll say! He turned into a renegade, fighting for and against good. How does that even happen?"

"It wouldn't have happened without Lieutenant Carson. She is someone I would rally behind. I can see where General Harris would do the same."

"Same here. I would totally fight with either of them—good or bad."

It was then that Alvin and Jeanette made eye contact. The two of them had face-splitting smiles on their faces, eyes bright with shared interest. It was then that they connected—really connected as friends—for the first time ever.

As friends. Yeah. Then Alvin wanted to know why his heart sped up and he felt like flying. Why he wanted to grab Jeanette and twirl her around like he did when he understood his science material. But then he saw her pink cheeks and eager expression and didn't want to wonder anymore. He just wanted to continue to _feel_. Feel this. Whatever it was, it was addicting .

"Man," Alvin finally breathed, "what I wouldn't give for them to make another movie."

"I agree. I guess I'll just have to stick to the book series to get more information."

"Wait what? _What?_ They made a _book_ _series?_ "

And suddenly, the conversation flowed.

* * *

Eleanor loved Saturdays. She loved the weather, the free time, the quality friend and family time—everything! Walking down the street towards the farmer's market meeting in a parking lot was yet another highlight that came around harvest time. She planned on meeting Theodore there and picking out the best of the best to cook with. She could almost taste the delectable dishes now.

It was by pure chance that while Eleanor was glancing around, she glanced right into the ice cream parlor and saw two people very dear to her. She saw Jeanette laughing. She saw Alvin's eager face. She saw them both smiling at one another. She saw them enjoying one another's company.

Actually…Eleanor wasn't exactly sure what she saw. Alvin and Jeanette bonding? That was not something she thought would actually happen. At least not without prompting from their siblings. Well, it's not a bad thing. But…why?

Eleanor took clear note of the puzzling happy two before continuing on her way.

Alvin ended up walking Jeanette home after finishing their ice cream. They moved from _Beyond Reasonable Thought_ to topics of other books-based-off-movies. Overall, it had been a really enjoyable time, much to both party's surprise.

Jeanette smiled at Alvin during one pause in conversation. Who knew the somewhat obnoxious chipmunk had an interest in the art of story-telling? It was intriguing. Jeanette hardly ever talked to Alvin, really talked. It was like a breath of fresh air that broke through the usually stale atmosphere that hung between the two.

Alvin smiled back, also enjoying their time together. Who knew the quiet bookworm had such an interest for totally awesome movies? Jeanette was actually interesting. Although she had always been Alvin's friend, they were never close. Today's events seemed to change that.

The two friends finally reached the Miller household. Jeanette stepped towards the porch, but stopped halfway up the steps. She turned to look back at Alvin.

 _BAM!_

The familiarity of the situation hit Alvin like a sack of rocks. The boy dropping off the girl. The girl looking back with a pleased expression. The happiness drifting through the air. The girl looking absolutely gorgeous with the porch lights reflecting off her eyes.

Alvin's heart began to race. His palms began to sweat. He felt dizzy and struggled to focus on the chipette before him. Alvin knew this feeling. This was a terribly wonderful feeling that left cool guys like him nothing but a mess.

A crush.

"I'll talk to you later?" Jeanette said, phrasing it as a question in her reserved tone.

"You betcha," Alvin heard himself say. It felt like his mouth was full of cotton balls.

Jeanette smiled. "G-Great. Goodnight, Alvin."

"G'night, Jeanette."

Alvin watched as Jeanette retreated into her house. As if on auto-pilot, the eldest chipmunk walked away from the Miller home and towards his home.

Jeanette. He had a crush on Jeanette. Jeanette Miller. Oddball, bookworm, kind-hearted nerd.

It was not until he was a block away and turned the corner that he began to shout. He sprinted as he screamed, as if his worst nightmare was chasing him.

Dave Seville looked up from the paper he was reading from inside the Seville home. He heard the distant shouting. So did Theodore and Simon who were playing a video game in the living room in front of their adoptive father. The sound sent chills down their spines.

"Is that…?" Dave began, but he already knew the answer. He got up from his seat and ran towards the front door when he heard it open and then slam shut.

There stood Alvin, pale as a ghost and panting heavily, looking like he had just escaped death itself.

His family surrounded him and began questioning him in concern. Alvin appeared as if he did not hear them. He remained frozen, leaning his back against the front door. Finally, he looked at his family. When his eyes fell on Simon, the weight of what happened struck him once again.

He had a crush on Jeanette Miller. _Simon's_ counterpart. _Simon's_ crush. His own _brother_.

 _Why? Why Alvin? Why him?!_

Then, as if someone flipped a switch, Alvin transformed back into his relaxed self.

"What? I'm fine. It was just…a spider! Yeah, a giant spider came down from a tree and landed right on top of me. It was mutated too! Tried to suck out my juices. You're all lucky I'm alive."

At Alvin's exaggerated response, everyone instantly knew he was fine. Alvin would be Alvin. If anything were seriously wrong, he would tell them. It probably was a spider anyway, but Alvin made it out to be bigger than possible in order for him not to look like a sissy.

Alvin walked with his family towards the living room. All the while he stared at the back of Simon's head. Then when they all sat down, Alvin stole glances at his brother throughout their time of video games.

"How was the skate park, Alvin?"

"Huh? What?" Alvin was broken out of his paranoia when Theodore spoke to him. "Oh yeah. It was fine."

"Fine?" Dave gave his son an odd look.

Alvin knew he was acting out of character and quickly remedied the situation. "Uh—totally rad! I was the best one there. The rest wished they had as much skill as I do."

Alvin realized he never went to the skate park. His skateboard sat in the entryway, unused.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok. Whew! Tests, projects, and papers can really take a chunk of time out of life. Precious writing time nonetheless. Here's the next chapter. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, by the way! They really helped motivate me to finish this chapter. Oh, and I keep forgetting to mention that the song in the first chapter is by Big Time Rush called "Halfway There". It's a good one. Check it out if you feel so inclined, and I hope you enjoy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own these beautiful characters...sadly.**

* * *

Eleanor looked at her sister disapprovingly. She watched Jeanette place three books into her bag. Three precious books off her older sister's top shelf. Jeanette's top shelf held only the most precious books to the chipette. And three of them were going into Jeanette's bag to be loaned. Loaned. Borrowed like common library books.

"Jeanette, are you sure you aren't sick?" Eleanor asked.

"I'm fine, Ellie," Jeanette reassured.

"What is it you're doing again?"

"I'm heading over to the Seville house to loan Alvin the _Beyond Reasonable Thought_ books. I told you this."

"I know. I just don't believe it. Maybe say it one more time."

"Eleanor."

"Alvin? Really? Why Alvin? Why not Simon?"

Jeanette gave her sister an odd look. "Alvin said he liked the movies and would force himself to read the books if it meant following the adventures of his favorite action hero ever. I know he reads a little slower than a library would allow for him to keep the books out so I've decided to loan them to him. Simon enjoys the storyline of the movies but does not wish to read them further. He is not as into storybooks as I am."

Eleanor's continued look of uncertainty had her bespeckled sister huffing lightly. When Jeanette heads for the door, a voice from the top of the stairs stopped her.

"Jeanette! Where are you going?" Brittany asked as she descended the stairs.

"Over to the Seville house," Jeanette said with one hand on the door. She hoped to exit before her sister dug further into her personal life. Brittany had a bad habit of blowing things out of proportions.

No such luck.

"Why? What are you going to do there?" Brittany asked in true older-sister fashion.

"I-I'm going to loan some books to Alvin."

" _What?_ Alvin _reads?_ That's a first. What on earth would you be giving him to read that can hold his childish attention span?"

Jeanette internally sighed. She was hoping to avoid this, but no such luck. So with her never-ending patience, Jeanette explained once more what she had just explained to Eleanor not two minutes before.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Don't expect them back in one piece," she said. Brittany turned and headed back up the stairs. Then she paused and turned back to her sister. "Jeanette?"

"Yes?" Jeanette answered, waiting for another drill.

"Tell…tell Alvin I said hey."

Jeanette nodded. "I will."

With that Jeanette was out the door. Jeanette knew why her older sister hesitantly asked for her counterpart's acknowledgment. Alvin had not bugged Brittany in a while. A whole weekend had gone by. Then Monday, and now Tuesday too. What was a chipette to do when her crush ignored her? Jeanette knows she would feel just awful if Simon ignored her. That is why she will pass on the message. Though she does wonder why Alvin was ignoring Brittany. Surely he didn't hate her. Sure they fought, but never anything for real. Not by Jeanette's findings at least.

When Jeanette knocked on the Seville's door, Theodore answered.

"Hi Jeanette!" he greeted cheerily.

"Hi Theodore," Jeanette replied. "I was wondering if—"

"Don't even worry about it," Theodore said. "He's home. Simon!" Theodore called inside the house.

"Actually—" Jeanette tried to correct the error.

"What?" came the distant reply from somewhere in the house.

"I'm not—"

"Jeanette's here to see you!" Theodore shouted, the chipette's protests falling on deaf ears.

"Oh dear."

There was the sound of rapid footfalls then Simon appeared, coming from the living room. He smiled at Jeanette and tried to slow his breathing. She didn't need to know he ran at the mention of her name.

"Hello Jeanette."

Jeanette smiled back, happy to see him despite not actually being there to see him. "Hi Simon. How are you?"

"Fairly well. Yourself?"

"Same here."

"Good, good…come in, come in!" Simon said when he realized Jeanette was still standing on the doorstep. "Theo, you're supposed to invite a lady inside as soon as you answer the door. It's common etiquette."

"Oops. Sorry. Come on in, Jeanette." Theodore opened the door further so Jeanette could step inside.

"Thank you," Jeanette said.

"What do you need?" Simon asked when he approached her.

"I-I, um, I…I'm actually here to see Alvin," Jeanette confessed with a blush.

"What?" Simon said.

"Alvin? Not Simon?" Theodore looked puzzled. "Oops again, I suppose. I'm sorry to bother you, Simon. I thought she was here to see you."

"It's alright, Theodore," Simon assured. He turned back to Jeanette. "Any particular reason why?"

"I'm here to loan him a few books," Jeanette said. "I didn't know he was a fan of the _Beyond Reasonable Thought_ franchise until he told me when we had ice cream the other day. He said he would read the books if given the opportunity, so I thought I would offer the opportunity. Is—is he home?"

Simon stared at Jeanette for another second in confusion. The thought of Alvin and books had short-circuited his mind. The thought of Alvin and Jeanette having ice cream brought it to a screeching halt. The thought of Jeanette and Alvin having something in common besides singing was beyond him.

It was Theodore who ended up answering.

"He's in his room."

"Thank you. I-I'll see you later, Simon," Jeanette said to a very still Simon.

Jeanette conquered half the steps before Simon snapped out of it. "Definitely! I'll d-definitely see you later."

Jeanette smiled at him and said, "Good" before heading upstairs to find the oldest chipmunk.

Alvin was in the middle of a computer game—conquering it, he might add—when the knock came on the door.

"I'm on the fifty-eighth level. This had better be important!" he shouted.

The door slowly opened. When Jeanette peered inside, Alvin glanced up from his laptop and immediately slammed it closed. Like all the other times he saw Jeanette since he walked her home, he felt his heart rate pick up.

"Jeanette? What are you doing here?" he asked, slightly panicked. He had been avoiding her as of late. He didn't want to complicate life. It was already exactly as complicated as he liked it to be. Dealing with this new development was not something he wanted to do. It appears, though, as if it will shove itself in his life whether he liked it or not. So he has to deal with it. Somehow he has to find a way to squash this crush…even if he didn't want to.

"I-I'm s-sorry to—to interrupt. I don't think…I don't think this is really worth disturbing you at such a high level in your game." Jeanette inched her way into the room. Alvin's exclamation had her nervous. She didn't mean to interrupt him.

"No, it's fine. I already closed it anyway," Alvin said. He never intended to do that, but seeing Jeanette startled him to the point of action. Alvin got down from the bed and walked up to her. Bad idea. Close proximity made it worse. She smelled nice. The way she shifted on her feet was cute. "W-What's up?"

"I brought you something." Jeanette reached into her bag and pulled out her precious books. She handed them to Alvin who took them. He looked at the first one's cover.

" _Unconscious Action_ ," he read the cover. "By Herman Taylor. A—A _Beyond Reasonable Thought_ series continuation! These are the books?"

"Uh-huh," Jeanette said happily. "All three of them. I thought you might like to—oh!"

Alvin, books in hand, swung his arms around Jeanette, lifted her up, and spun her around much like he had done when studying had gone well.

"Dude! Thank you so much. Yes. I was thinking about it but…" but he had no idea how to find them in the library…or where the local library was. He wasn't about to ask his brother and risk looking stupid. Jeanette hadn't been an option either considering he was trying to avoid her, but hey! When the distraction comes to you…embrace it!

"Well, now you don't have to go through the trouble," Jeanette said. She was pleased at his eager reaction. "Keep them as long as you need them. I've already read them several times each."

"That's…this is great! You might not get them back for a while."

"That's why I leant them to you. You won't have to suffer library fees."

"Maybe some other fees. What do you want for them?"

Jeanette laughed lightly. Alvin grinned at that. "It's called sharing, Alvin. You can use them as long as you need to. I…I trust you will take care of them during that time."

"Obviously. I am very trustworthy." The way Alvin said it had Jeanette giggling again.

"Good to know. Oh! Um, Brittany says hi."

At the mention of Brittany, Alvin's former crush and beautifully feisty counterpart, Alvin deflated slightly. He hasn't gone a few rounds of verbal sparring with her in a while. He had been too busy thinking about and avoiding a certain other chipette. Maybe he should pay a visit to her. That could snap him out of this! Hopefully…right?

"Uh, cool. Thanks. Tell her the same."

"Alright. Well, that's it. I'll see you later," Jeanette said. She turned to leave.

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

When Jeanette had started to leave, Alvin found himself wanting to keep her around. She smelled good and made him feel important. She should stay. No—she shouldn't! He wanted to kill this crush, remember? She should go…but he doesn't want her to go. But what about Simon? Brittany?

Alvin saw Jeanette's large, vivid eyes staring back at him with curiosity.

"Stay," he heard himself say.

"Huh?"

"Uh, b-b-because you…you—you need to explain the first book to me! I mean, I don't even know where it starts. What's its context? Plot? Setting? Characters?"

"You know the characters, Alvin," Jeanette said. "But I suppose I could explain the context…"

"Great!" Alvin grabbed her arm and brought her further into the room and further into his life.

He will visit Brittany later. But not now.

* * *

Simon sat brooding on the couch, staring at the Discovery Channel show that now held no interest for him. His thoughts continued to travel back to his counterpart and his older brother hanging out upstairs. He may have made a few (dozen) excuses to go near the room. He had to fetch something from his room. He had to use the bathroom. He was looking for Theodore. For Dave. For some random object he couldn't seem to locate. All just to check up on them.

Jeanette and Alvin…bonding. It was just too weird.

"Simon?"

That angelic voice had Simon's attention quicker than anything else that occurred that night. He turned and saw Jeanette standing beside the couch.

"Hey—Hey Jeanette. What can I do for you?"

"N-Nothing actually. I just…thought I would say goodbye." Jeanette shuffled her feet and blushed.

"Oh. You're leaving? So soon?"

Soon. Yeah right. More like two hours later. Then again, Simon and Jeanette had done homework together a lot longer than two hours. They've even hung out longer than they've done homework.

"Yeah. Alvin and I were talking, and then all of the sudden he needed to see Brittany. It must be urgent because he ran right out the door."

"Strange. He usually runs to people when he wants something."

"Well, I think it's a good thing he's seeing her."

"You do?"

"Yes. He has not been around Brittany much the past week. It's odd, not having the two of them yelling at one another."

"Agreed. But not totally unwelcome."

Jeanette smiled. "Agreed," she mimicked, making Simon smile in turn. "Ok then. Have a good night Simon."

"W-Wait!"

Jeanette didn't even get to turn around before Simon called for her to halt. Her staring at him made his palms sweat and his mind race—but not in a wholly unpleasant way. Quite pleasant, really. He wanted to prolong that. Not only prolong it, but keep it all for himself in the form of Jeanette and only Jeanette.

"Care to, ah, watch the rest of this program with me? Deep space is a rather fascinating topic, don't you think?"

"Absolutely." Jeanette placed her book bag on the ground and took a seat next to Simon on the couch.

Wow. Simon couldn't help but notice how nice she smelled.

After the two teens settled next to one another, they tuned into the program—well, half tuned-in. The rest of their minds were preoccupied with the fact that they were sitting so close to one another. Alone. With nothing but a confession keeping them from truly being together.

* * *

"And stay out!"

"Don't worry! I will."

With that, Brittany slammed the door, and Alvin headed for the sidewalk. After an hour straight of underhanded compliments, snide remarks, and noncommittal insults, Alvin and Brittany successfully got under each other's skin enough to have the eldest chipette kick her counterpart out of the house.

Boy, that felt good. Alvin had forgotten what a rush it was to interact with Brittany. She was really something. A firecracker waiting to explode, and he was the lighter.

What had he been so worried about? Alvin laughs at himself as he strolls home. After his bout with Brittany, he remembered why he had a crush on the pink chipette. She was a beautiful challenge he was more than willing to accept. Why did he even entertain the idea of Jeanette? It was just ridiculous.

Speaking of Jeanette…there she was, walking towards him on the sidewalk.

With the moonlight shining off her hair.

With her big eyes staring at him.

With a kindly smile on her face.

Alvin's heart stopped momentarily then began racing once more. _What?_ Why was this happening? He had just had this with Brittany. Why Jeanette now? This made no sense. But then Jeanette was right beside him and Alvin had no more time to sift through the issue.

"Hi Alvin. How was your visit with Brittany?" Jeanette asked.

Alvin forced himself to speak. He was no coward. He needed to face this problem head on. No more of this fickle nonsense. He had to be cold to Jeanette. Blow her off. Shrug off these feelings and strengthen the ones with Brittany.

 _Now. Do it now_ , he told himself.

"Great. Can I walk you home?"

What was that?!

Jeanette was also surprised at his offer. "Oh. U-Uh, no…that's alright. You were just there. N-No need to trouble yourself."

 _Walk away. Walk away now._

"It's no trouble at all. It's just a couple of blocks away."

 _Wrong! Trouble. Big, big trouble._

Jeanette bit her bottom lip. Alvin stared at it in fascination. "W-Well, I suppose if you insist. Thank you."

Alvin held out his arm which Jeanette took, not without hesitation. Why was Alvin being a gentleman? The chipette really wanted to know but lacked sufficient evidence to pin it to one source. So she decided to dig a little. She asked about him, about Brittany, about him and Brittany, about how the visit went.

Alvin answered, but with shorter answers than he usually does and with less venom than when talking about Brittany. It was never malicious venom. It was actually venom of adoration, if that made any sense. It did when you saw the pink chipette and red chipmunk interact. But apparently the visit did not go as swimmingly as it should have because of the lack of adoring venom.

Strange. Especially when Jeanette opened the door to her home after saying goodbye to Alvin and finding Brittany dancing around the house, humming to herself in happiness.

No…the visit must have gone well. Brittany is happy. That usually means she and Alvin flirted via fiery words. Then…why was he so calm when he said goodbye that night?

* * *

Alvin fast-walked home, trying to suppress the urge to run. No running from a challenge no matter how preposterous. When he entered the house, he slammed the door behind him. His foul mood practically rolled off him.

A crush on Brittany and Jeanette at the same time? Impossible. Insane. Incomprehensible. (Alvin was proud of himself for that last word. It was a Simon-worthy length word.)

"Alvin? Is that you?" Dave asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah," Alvin called back.

The eldest chipmunk stomped up the stairs. He threw his coat on his bedroom floor and threw himself on his bed.

He sat there, stewing in his own anger when he heard his brothers coming down the hall. At first he winced at Simon's voice, but when he paid attention to what they were talking about, Alvin's ears perked up in interest.

"Really? I mean, really-really? This is a big deal, Simon," Theodore was saying.

"I realize that which is why I told someone. That someone being you," Simon said.

"Why me? Why not everyone? Dave and Alvin would be happy for you."

"Dave would only give me a lecture. I'll wait for that until she says yes…if she says yes."

"She will!" Theodore insisted.

" _If_ ," Simon stressed. "And I cannot tell Alvin for numerous reasons. For one, he would mock me relentlessly. I want to not be mocked for my decision first and foremost because this one is important to me. Second, I do not need any of his 'Love Doctor' advice on this one. I would rather handle it on my own. For these reasons, I hope that you will keep me asking Jeanette out tomorrow a secret from Alvin for the present moment."

Alvin blanched. He lay perfectly still on his bed in case he alerted them to his presence as the stood a little ways from his doorway.

"Well…I suppose. But don't keep it a secret for long. This is a happy secret!"

Alvin could just picture the goofy grin spreading across Simon's face that he gets whenever he talks about Jeanette in a high light. Alvin scowled.

"Yes, I know. That is why I will tell everyone if she says yes."

" _When_."

"If. And that's final."

Tomorrow? Hmm…Alvin's scheming mind began to work against his better judgment's screaming.

Memories of his wonderful fight with Brittany are replaced with thoughts of sabotage.


	4. Chapter 4

**WOW WRITING FEELS GOOD! I finally had a break from all the craziness of school to sit down for two hours and get this all down. It was like a breath of fresh air. But be warned, this is not very edited. I wrote it in one sitting and am submitting it so please do not think much of an error here and there. But I do hope you enjoy! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, too. They have kept me writing mentally in order to find time slots like this that I can get it all down on paper.**

 **The song used is "Sweet Victory" by Van Halen.**

 **I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks. Much to my displeasure.**

* * *

Jeanette huffed as she sat down in one of the library chairs. This was the first moment of the day that she had free to sit down. Jeanette was working on this year's science fair project. The local astronomer that she planned on interviewing called early that morning and told her that he was free that afternoon if she was still interested. The chipette most certainly was, but the interview was during school. After a talk with Miss Miller, a phone call to school, and a note to get out of class later, Jeanette rushed to the observatory. However, when the astronomer said he had a moment to be interviewed, he meant she could walk beside him and ask him questions while he went around checking data and machinery. Apparently there was a meteor shower later in the week and everything had to be in tip-top shape.

Miss Miller than drove her back to school while Jeanette ate her lunch in the car. Once there, Jeanette had to rush to gym. One agonizing class period of drills later, the chipette finally lost momentum and collapsed in the library. Settling in one of the familiar chairs near the fiction section allowed her to gain back her breath.

Jeanette sighed, finally feeling content. She had not yet visiting her sisters or the chipmunks yet, but she did not think she would be very good company considering how exhausted she was. Closing her eyes and resting her head in her hand offered a moment of peace in the nice…quiet…library…

"BAM!"

"Eep!" Jeanette nearly lurched out of her chair when a sudden voice blared from behind her. She did not fall out, thanks to two arms that were already wrapped around her and her chair, holding something in front of her. Something white. Something that blocked her vision.

"Sorry to scare you," the voice continued. Alvin. It was Alvin's voice, "but I wanted to surprise you. Look, look, look!"

He waved the paper some more, practically shoving it in her face. Jeanette blinked a few times before focusing on the paper. Osmosis, genetics, boxes…It looked familiar. It looked like the test she had to take last week. It was…it was Alvin's!

Jeanette grabbed the paper and stared at the prominent letter at the top of the page.

"A minus?" Jeanette said breathlessly. Then her voice gained confidence. " _An A minus_? Alvin, that's incredible!"

Alvin beamed. The sun was put to shame at how bright with pride he looked. Jeanette momentarily forgot her exhaustion, leapt from her chair, and threw her arms up in the air. Alvin did the same, only he moved forward a moment later to engulf her in a giant hug, picking her up and spinning her around for emphasis on how happy he was.

"I know! I'm amazing. You're amazing. We're amazing!" Alvin said as he spun her. When he finally put her down, she only had to shake her head once to recover from the celebratory spinning.

Jeanette smiled at him. "I'm so proud of you."

Alvin grabbed her hands, crushing the test that was still in her hand, and began dancing, singing in the glory of triumph.

 _And it's sweet, sweet_

 _Sweet victory, yeah_

 _And it's ours for the taking_

 _It's ours for the fight_

 _And it's sweet, sweet_

 _Sweet victory_

 _And the one who's last to fall_

 _The winner takes all_

 _Yeah_

Like last time Alvin sang around her, Jeanette began to sing along, allowing her voice to harmonize with his at all the right points. She was certainly smart, not only with academics but with musicality as well. She hit all the right notes in all the right places, making her voice stand out while at the same time complimenting Alvin's.

It was not until someone behind them cleared their throat that the two were brought down from their euphoria.

Jeanette quickly righted herself and turned to apologize to the library that no doubt shushed them only to find Simon instead. He looked puzzled. The blush adorning her cheeks make Jeanette look at her shoes in embarrassment.

"Oh, uh, he-hello, Simon," Jeanette squeaked.

"Hello, Jeanette. May I know what all the celebration is about?"

"Well, ah, Alvin here—"

"BAM!" Alvin mimicked his earlier announcement of victory and shoved his crumpled test that he had retaken from Jeanetted in his brother's face.

Simon calmly and coolly took the paper and looked at the grade. His eyebrows rose. "My, my. It seems Jeanette was a good influence on you."

"No kidding!" Alvin exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Jeanette in a friendly manner, though in Alvin's mind it was more of a possessive move. "Sorry, bro, but you've been replaced. I've got myself a new study-buddy."

Jeanette chuckled nervously, hoping Simon would not take this personally, but Simon just rolled his eyes.

"I don't know how I will ever live with myself," he said dryly, but admirably. "Congratulations, Alvin. You've done quite well."

"Thanks," Alvin said.

With that out of the way, Simon turned his attention fully to Jeanette, who was still stuck in Alvin's grasp. "So Jeanette, I didn't see you earlier today. I assume there was a good reason you missed half your classes?"

"Brittany and Eleanor didn't tell you?" Jeanette asked. She subtly tried wiggling out of Alvin's grasp, but she quickly found out that she was stuck.

"I actually didn't get a chance to—"

"She was at the observatory," Alvin filled him in.

The other two looked at him, caught off guard.

"How did you know that?" Simon asked.

"Unlike some people, who were busy," Alvin said pointedly to his brother, "I caught Brittany outside of Biology. You were too much of a goody-two-shoes to ask her during class. It's for your science project, right Jeanette?"

Jeanette's shocked expression was now mixed with question. "Y-Yes, that is correct."

"Cool. Science is awesome," Alvin said.

Simon snorted. "Since when are you interested in science, Alvin?"

"Since never, Simon," Alvin retorted, "but that doesn't mean I don't think it's cool." Alvin turned back to Jeanette who was beginning to feel flushed from being pressed against him for so long. "Say, why don't we head down to the vending machines. I'll buy you a soda and a candy bar. Whatever you want—even the expensive bags of chips at the top row."

"Th-That's not really necessary—" Jeanette tried saying.

"I insist! It's the least I can do. Seriously, it's cool."

Jeanette glanced at Simon who was not looking at her. He was looking at his brother with a puzzling expression that matched how Jeanette felt, then she realized that she was being rude. How was she to turn down Alvin's gratitude? At least now he would consider himself out of her debt. At least she hoped.

"Alright, Alvin. Thank you. That's very kind of you."

Alvin grinned victoriously. "It's no trouble at all. The least I can do and all that. Why don't we head down there?" Alvin began guiding her towards the doorway with his arm that was _still_ wrapped around her.

Well, he _was_ guiding her until his brother grabbed his other arm and yanked him away.

"Alvin, do you mind if I talk to you a moment _privately_?" Simon asked with his fake calm voice. Alvin knew the voice well. It was the voice that was used when trying not to blow up at Alvin in front of Dave to avoid getting in trouble.

Alvin was in trouble. But the thing was, Alvin was used to trouble. He welcomed it even. And right now, he was not afraid of a fight. So he put on an equally fake smile and said, "Sure, bro. Whatever you want." He turned to Jeanette. "Why don't you go on ahead? I'll meet you there. I'm sure this won't take long."

Jeanette glanced between the two of them. They were certainly acting strange. However, the chipette has witnessed enough of their bickering to know it was better to stay out of whatever it was that they were fighting about now. So she nodded and headed out the door.

The two chipmunks waited a few heartbeats to make sure she was gone. Then they each looked around to make sure no one was around to hear their subsequent conversation. Thankfully, it was a slow day in the library.

"What is with you, Alvin?" Simon asked with a hiss. "You're treating her more now than you have in all our time of knowing the chipettes. Why are you paying such special attention to her now?

Alvin proceeded to give his brother a suspicious stink-eye. "Why, Simon. If I didn't know you any better, I would say you are jealous. Are you jealous oh dear brother of mine?"

Simon felt a flare of anger mix with embarrassment. "Why on earth would I be jealous? All you did was get her help with one test. Her niceness gave you a debt to pay, and now you're trying to repay her so you can go back to ignoring her."

 _How dare he?_ Alvin felt himself bristle at Simon's insinuation. Sure, Alvin had never really interacted much with Jeanette, but he still cared about her. He always cared about _all_ the chipettes. "I have _always_ cared about Jeanette." Alvin near growled. "I care about all the chipettes. What about you? When's the last time you had a conversation with Brittany?"

"That's beside the point—"

"Ha. Just as guilty as me. Now I'm the one actually doing something about it. I came to my senses and figured out that Jeanette's a great person to hang out with."

"I always knew that," Simon pointed out.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you get to hog her," Alvin said.

"Me? You're the one that's been hanging out with her so much."

"Maybe I had good reason," Alvin said. "Maybe I—" The oldest chipmunk cut himself off. He was treading dangerous territory. He did not want to tell his younger brother about his crush on the purple-clad chipette. So Alvin decided to go a different route. He decided to bring up the unspoken challenge he made with Simon last night when he overheard Simon's conversation with Theodore.

"Maybe I think you don't like her enough?" Alvin said.

"What." It was not a question. Not in Simon's dangerously low tone. _What_ did Alvin just suggest? What was that he _dare_ suggest?

"Maybe I realized how great of a girl Jeanette is now and know that she deserves the best. Do you think you're the best for her, Simon? Do you deserve her?"

Simon was struck dumb. Well…he said it himself. He knew Jeanette was a great companion. Other people are probably noticing that now too. They were in a school full of bright (and dumb) minds. One of the better ones was bound to notice her at one point or another. Simon always thought he was one of the better ones. He was her counterpart, after all. Didn't that make him worthy? Didn't it? Shouldn't it?

Alvin took note of his brother's silence, tasting victory for the second time that day. "Yeah. I overheard your conversation with Theodore last night. And guess what? I'm going to make sure you deserve her. Give it a week. See if you can manage to get her away from me. If you're that smooth, I'll consider you worthy. If not…well." Alvin shrugged.

Simon was stuck amongst his emotions. He was angry, embarrassed, confused, and ashamed all at once. Standing there was his only capability at the moment.

"Good luck to you, bro," Alvin said, and then he walked off towards the exit.

"A-Alvin, wait, wait," Simon called after him. His choked voice told Alvin that his words had hit their target. He turned back and looked questioningly at his brother. "Is this about me not tutoring you? Is it because I teased you about not being smart enough? If so, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Maybe part of it was because Alvin felt cross at his brother. But then he remembered Jeanette's proud smile she gave to him—only to him—and realized that the test was only a small part of it. A shrug was his only answer, leaving his brother in turmoil of not knowing his brother's motives.

* * *

Eleanor sighed as she called in the empty hallways of the school. Classes had gotten out two hours ago. Brittany was already done with cheerleading practice. Eleanor had finished up her extra credit assignment for Home Ec. Jeanette was supposed to be waiting for Brittany and Eleanor at the front of the school. Instead she found Alvin and Simon there, claiming to not know where she was, that they had been waiting for her—and the rest of the chipettes—since school let out. Theodore, who had stuck with Eleanor during her work on Home Ec., said he had no idea where she was. Then Brittany came by and was equally as puzzled as to where her little sister was.

No answer on her phone, text or call. No message left with Miss Miller or any of Jeanette's usual friends. No note in any of their lockers. No nothing. That got all of them riled up. Quickly organizing a search party, they began scouring the school grounds, looking for their sister. Simon to the classrooms, Eleanor to the general areas, Alvin at the fields, Theodore to the parking lot, and Brittany headed out to see if she was in any of her usual haunts around town.

Eleanor was getting scared now. Really scared. Jeanette had been acting distant all week. She hadn't been eating a whole lot. She hadn't ventured from her room. And when any visitors came over, she would lock herself in her room.

Maybe—Maybe they missed something crucial. Maybe the distance was a warning sign. Maybe they were too late…

 _No!_ Eleanor's inner voice screamed. She would most certainly not accept this as defeat. Not while there was a chance of finding her sister.

"Jeanette! Jeanette, it's me. It's Eleanor. Where are you?" Eleanor ran through the gym, checking behind the bleachers. Finding nothing, she moved on to the hallway linking the locker rooms and the gym teacher's office. She took a deep breath and was about to call out once more when she heard it. A small sniffle. A hiccup.

Jeanette.

Eleanor quickly ran into the nearest locker room, even if it was the boy's locker room. Nothing. Their showers held nothing either. She went into the women's locker room. Still nothing. Then she checked the women's showers.

There. There in the corner of the women's showers was Jeanette. She was curled up into a ball, arms wrapped around her legs, head resting her knees.

"Jeanette!" Eleanor exclaimed, rushing over.

This startled Jeanette, she glanced up and saw her sister coming towards her, arms outstretched. When Eleanor reached her, she wrapped her arms so tightly around Jeanette that the elder chipette couldn't breathe for a moment.

"What on earth has gotten into your head that you disappear without so much as a whisper about where you've gotten to?" Eleanor asked. Her voice sounded angry, but that anger came from relief over finding her sister. "We are all worried sick. Sick I tell you!" Eleanor finally allowed Jeanette to breathe. She pulled away enough to look Jeanette in the eye and saw that Jeanette had been crying. "Jeanette, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Jeanette vigorously wiped at her eyes. "I-It's—"

"If you say it's nothing, I'm going to boot you like a soccer ball," Eleanor threatened.

Jeanette closed her mouth and grew silent.

"Not talking, eh?" Eleanor asked. She pulled out her phone. "Well, we don't have to talk now. I'll just let the others know—"

"No!" Jeanette snatched the phone out of Eleanor's hand. That was faster than Eleanor had ever seen her sister move before. "Please. Please don't call anyone. I can't take it anymore!"

Eleanor stared blankly at her sister for a moment. Then she sat down next to her, got comfortable, and gave her sister an insistent look.

At the look, Jeanette clammed up. But her sister's stubbornness got the better of her.

"I-I just…I just need a b-break. Please," Jeanette finally said weakly.

"A break from what exactly?" Eleanor asked. "I mean, everyone gets sick of high school, Jeanette, even people who like school. People like you. Just tell us you need a day to yourself. I would have understood. If we explained it to Brittany, she would have understood too. That's no reason to go into hiding and scare us all."

Jeanette looked down at her shoes. They were slightly damp from the puddles on the floor she had to walk through to get to her dry corner. She had chosen the locker room showers because she figured that was the last place anyone would go looking for her. But she gave herself away by crying. She always did have trouble keeping quiet while crying. Eleanor was best at it. When Brittany cried, she wailed, letting people in China know she was upset. But Jeanette was a happy medium, depending on how bad the situation was. This wasn't so bad, but she had sniffed at the wrong moment.

"It's not school," Jeanette said sheepishly. "It's…I-It's the chipmunks."

Eleanor looked at her quizzically, then her eyes grew wide with understanding.

"Simon and Alvin…" Eleanor trailed off.

Jeanette nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh, Jeanette!" Eleanor put an arm around her sister and let her curl up against her.

Yes, Eleanor knew. She didn't know what it was exactly, but she knew. She had seen it with her own eyes. The two elder chipmunks had not given Jeanette a moment of peace for five days straight now. If one wasn't with her, the other was. Or they were both with her. She had not had a moment's peace for a week straight.

Eleanor had seen Alvin take Jeanette's books and escort her to class. Simon had insisted on having more study sessions with her. They would open doors for her, offer her their desserts at lunch, walk her home after school, and always have something to compliment her on—her brains, her clothes, her glasses, her face, her anything.

Instead of flattering her, it scared her. Jeanette felt suppressed, taken off-guard. She felt like she couldn't breathe when they were around.

"I-I think I'm a p-pawn," Jeanette said weakly.

"What?" Eleanor asked.

"Think about it," Jeanette said. "Why else would they both be so insistent on being around me?"

"Well, I think they both have their motives," Eleanor ventured. She was not sure how much her sister suspected, but Eleanor suspected plenty. The two chipmunks were duking it out for the chipette's affections. She was sure of it. But did Jeanette know as much?

Jeanette nodded. "I think so too. I think Alvin wants to stay close because he fears I won't help him with his next difficult test. He thinks I'll be mad if he puts me in the background again. I won't be! I know we are in different social circles. I don't hold that against him."

Eleanor bit her lower lip. So her sister was ignorant, but maybe not too ignorant. Surely Jeanette didn't miss Simon's attempts to gain her attention. "And Simon?"

Jeanette sighed at the chipmunk's name. However, this was not a sight of a love-struck teen like usual, but a sigh of frustration. "I think he's jealous of Alvin. Alvin always gets what he wants, and right now he wants to be better than Simon in school, or at least get enough A's to rub in Simon's face. So Simon's trying to keep me away from him so Alvin doesn't get this one thing." Jeanette closed her eyes and smacked her palms against her forehead. "Oh! Boys are so stupid!"

The distress in her sister's voice made Eleanor furious—both at her sister for not noticing that this was about much more than grades and at the boys for being so wrapped up in competition to ruin their end-goal's happiness.

But should she tell Jeanette? That was the big question. Jeanette was…delicate. Not Brittany's kind of delicate—like break a nail kind of delicate, although Brittany has suffered from lack of Alvin-time, and has told her youngest sister as much. Eleanor has heard more worry rants about why Alvin didn't prank-call her than she could count on one finger.

No, Jeanette's delicacy was more of a—a social kind. Eleanor was the youngest, but she sometimes suspected that she was the only one who saw these kinds of things clearly. Should she bring her sister out of the dark? Should she tell Jeanette the truth?

Not yet. But she will give her sister advice on how to deal with this chaos.

* * *

"Jeanette!" Theodore exclaimed. He was the first to see Jeanette after the three chipmunks convened at the school's front doors. His exclamation had his two older brother's nearly breaking their necks to turn and look to find what he sees.

Sure enough, there she was, walking towards them from the other end of school with Eleanor at her side, their arms linked together.

The three chipmunks rushed forward. Jeanette shrunk back when they did, but Eleanor's grip was strong. She kept her sister from retreating.

"Jeanette, you're ok! Thank goodness," Alvin said.

"Are you ok?" Simon asked, taking a small step forward to inspect her. Jeanette subtly moved away.

"It's good to see you, Jeanette," Theodore said.

At Theodore's words, Jeanette smiled. "Thank you, Theodore," she said sincerely.

"What happened?" Alvin asked, dying to know.

Eleanor huffed. "It was just a silly little thing. Jeanette got a little light-headed. So she grabbed a snack from the vending machine before meeting you guys. After downing them like the secret pig she is, she sat down in the locker rooms for a rest and fell asleep. You're suck a silly goose, Jeanette."

Jeanette shrugged. "Sorry, everyone."

"That's completely alright, Jeanette," Simon said. He adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps you should have an escort home if you are not feeling well. We would not want you to faint on your way back."

"Good idea, bro. I'd be happy too—"

"No, allow me—"

"No!"

Jeanette's sharp word alarmed everyone. Eleanor felt pride at the fact that her sister was taking her advice. Now Jeanette just has to follow through with it. Hopefully she will not be deterred by having all eyes on her.

Jeanette swallows thickly, but she would not allow her nerves to get the better of her. "I-I am going home with Eleanor and spending time with my sister's tonight." Jeanette looked to Simon. "Simon, c-could we resume our original plan of meeting every Wednesday night to study instead of three nights a week? If—If that's alright with you."

Simon looked surprised to be addressed about something like that now. He also could feel Alvin's smug grin without actually seeing it. The blue-clad chipmunk sincerely wanted to spend more time with the chipette, but he knew that he should not risk her happiness and good opinion of him on something so trivial as study sessions. So he agreed.

"As you wish, Jeanette," Simon said complacently.

Jeanette sighed in relief. "Thank you, Simon."

"You are very welcome," Simon replied.

"And Alvin," Jeanette turned to the eldest chipmunk who perked up at her voice.

"Yeah?"

"Would you…would you mind not sitting with me in the library at school or the local library? Th-That is my reading time that I would like back," Jeanette said quietly, but evenly.

Alvin's surprise matched that of Simon's. It was then he realized he had come on too strong. Damaged his image with her. He needed to back off.

"Sure, Jeanette. Whatever you want."

Jeanette smiled at him. "Thank you, Alvin."

"No problem."

Jeanette took another deep breath, clinging to her sister like a lifeline. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to go home and eat supper with my sisters. I would prefer if nobody came by tonight…if that's alright with all of you."

Eleanor bit back a sigh. Leave it to her sister to be too polite when telling boys to back off.

All three chipmunks agreed, though, and watched as Eleanor and Jeanette walk away, to find their third sister and go home.

With each step, Jeanette felt freer than she had the entire week. The cool breeze felt nice on her face, and the sun was exceptionally pretty. Funny how no attention from anyone made the chipette feel so good.

And yet…being the soft-hearted chipette she was, Jeanette feared she hurt the chipmunks. They were her friends after all. She wanted them to be ok. So she looked back. Eleanor caught her doing so and yanked her forward, scolding her, but it was too late.

Jeanette had seen the sad looks on two of her closest friends' faces.


	5. Chapter 5

**Whew! Exams are done and the Christmas Day wonderful chaos has come to an end. I managed to finally crank this one out. This is more of a setting up chapter for events to come. I believe there will be two more chapters after this one if my mental editing is correct.**

 **A special thanks to _XoxTristinaaaDuhhhxoX_ to whom I dedicate this chapter, and _TheWinterMe_ for the in-depth review. Not to mention all others (like those guests who gave me anonymous encouragements) who helped me keep the passion for this story going. I appreciate and thank you all. If I could hug you through the internet, I would. **

**As always, PLEASE critique my work. I would greatly appreciate it. And enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the Chipmunks...sadly.**

* * *

Eleanor stirred the ingredients automatically. The wooden spoon was not doing much good with her lack of attention. The mixture was not mixing well. She stared at it with a blank face, not really seeing what was before her.

"Eleanor?" Theodore's voice broke her out of her revere.

"Wha—huh? Sorry, Theodore. What did you want?"

"Oh, I-I didn't want anything. I was just going to ask why you were so quiet."

Theodore's wide, innocent eyes implored for her to tell him what was wrong. But she couldn't.

"It's nothing, Theo. I'll stop spacing out now. Just—Just pass me the oregano please."

Theodore did so, but not without one more worrisome look pointed at her. When Eleanor added the oregano, she began mixing the ingredients once more, actually using elbow grease this time. But it was not attention that fueled her. It was anger.

It was not her battle. She should stay out of it, but boy did she want it to end. Jeanette had told off those two troublesome chipmunks. They had backed off—like cold-turkey backed off. Neither even dare approach her (Eleanor's death glares certainly helped with that). Good, but Eleanor still saw Alvin and Simon shoot steely looks at one another. Not to mention Jeanette is once again at a loss of what to do. Instead of suffering from too much attention, she is suffering from a lack of it. She confided her worries to Eleanor not too long ago, and Eleanor told her to hunker down, stay strong, and don't give in. Those boys needed to be taught a lesson. If taking away their favorite toy was the only option, then so be it. Patience was easily a strong suit of Jeanette, but enduring a hard period made her patience wear thin. Eleanor's too. So Eleanor decided the next feuding chipmunk that knocked on their door would be allowed to apologize to Jeanette via Eleanor's permission.

"Eleanor, I think it's mixed," Theodore said cautiously.

Eleanor looked down at her bowl containing thoroughly spun ingredients. Yep, definitely mixed. "Right. Here you go, Theodore."

"A-Are you sure everything is ok, Eleanor?" Theodore asked as he took the bowl from his counterpart.

"Yeah, yeah. Just fine." Eleanor waved off his concern.

"No, it's not. I know it's not. If you want to talk about it, I'll gladly listen. But—But if you don't, that's ok too."

Theodore's sincerity melted the ice that had formed in Eleanor's heart throughout this ordeal. She had been so busy making sure Jeanette was alright she had ignored Theo—sweet, caring Theodore.

"Aw, Theodore!" Eleanor wrapped her arms around the innocent chipmunk. "Thank you. I know. I'm sorry. I'll…I'll tell you when it's all over. How about that?"

Theodore sighed pleasantly and rested his head on the chipette's shoulder, savoring the contact. "Alright. I'll be ready."

A knock on the front door broke the precious moment. "I've got it!" Eleanor called to Miss Miller as she went to answer the door. When she opened it, there stood one of the two chipmunks that were still on probation.

"Hey, Eleanor," Alvin said shyly.

 _Well good_ , Eleanor thought while taking note of his hunched form and uncertain expression. _He should be ashamed after the way he and Simon acted_.

"What do you want?" the green-clad chipette asked, hands on her hips, ice in her voice. She couldn't help but feel disappointed that it was not Simon who came knocking.

"I was kinda hoping to talk to Jeanette," Alvin said.

"Why?" Eleanor asked. Just because she was going to let him see her does not mean she will make it easy on him.

"Because I need to apologize to her," Alvin said firmly. At that statement, he looked less sheepish and more certain.

"You do?" Eleanor said, slightly shocked.

"Yeah."

Eleanor gave him a long, hard look before stepping aside and letting him in. "She's in her room. Be quiet though, she's been edgier than usual. Don't scare her."

"Where's Brittany?" Alvin asked as he stepped inside the home.

"Out shopping with some of her friends. You're in the clear," Eleanor said.

"Not…Not really why I was asking, but thanks." With that, Alvin retreated from the snippy sister and heading up the stairs, feeling those green eyes watching him every step.

The reason Alvin had asked about the third sister's whereabouts was because he was hoping to talk to Brittany. See, his plan was risky and stupid and something totally up his ally…but he didn't want to do it. A first for him. He was still trying to win over Jeanette, but he held out hope that Brittany would be here, see him, and talk to him until he no longer wanted to win over the other girl.

But Brittany was out, and Alvin still felt the calming pull towards the younger chipette.

Alvin knocked quietly on the door.

"Come in," Jeanette's soft voice called from within. That voice made Alvin's blood pick up speed as it flowed through his body.

The chipmunk opened the door. Jeanette smiled when she saw him. Alvin smiled back and felt the pull strengthen, but he gave her space by staying near the door while she sat at her desk across the room.

"Hello Alvin. How are you?" Jeanette asked sweetly. She gave off no trace of anger, but Alvin did not want to take a chance of upsetting her. Truthfully, Jeanette was happy one of the boys finally decided to interact with her again. She most definitely was not angry.

"Jeanette, I, uh, hehe. Um, I'm here to apologize." Asking for forgiveness was not something Alvin was too good at, though he has had plenty of opportunities to do so and plenty of practice.

"You are?" Jeanette asked, honestly surprised.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry I kinda, uh, stuck to your side like a puppy. I was just…I wanted to make sure you—"

"Alvin," Jeanette cut him off. She got up from her seat to stand at his level, "you don't have to continue. I get it."

"You do?" It was Alvin's turn to look surprised. So she figured it out? Honestly Alvin never really knew Jeanette could read social cues so well. She probably secretly picked up all the signals.

"Yes. And it's ok."

"It is?"

Jeanette nodded. "I won't feel left out if you went back to hanging out with your other friends. I know we have different social circles. I'm not offended. I have other friends too. We won't stop being friends just because we don't see each other all the time."

"Uh…right." Ok, so Jeanette didn't know what this was all about. Rats. That means the plan is still a go. That both excited and terrified the chipmunk. "Good. I'm glad you think so because I, uh, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" Jeanette asked. She walked closer to Alvin, feeling more comfortable around him again. Her quick-to-forgive philosophy at life was impressive. Alvin felt happier knowing he was on her good side again, but he also felt nervous with her this close. He wanted her closer, but he resisted.

"As a kind of last hurrah, if you will, I'd like to take you to Harold Jefferson's party this Saturday."

"What?"

"Remember in the very beginning when I said if you helped me I would buy you ice cream and take you to the next party I'm invited to? Well, I've been invited to Harold Jefferson's, end-of-the-quarter bash, and I want to take you. But—" Alvin quickly remedied when he saw Jeanette's face fall, "—I want to take you as my friend. Just friends hanging out. Not a payment. No guilt. No hope for you tutoring me the next time I have a big test. Just us—Alvin and Jeanette—chilling like friends do. We are still friends, aren't we?"

"Of course," Jeanette said. Although what he said made her smile, she still felt a little uneasy. "But, I'm not much of a party person, Alvin. I'd rather not…"

"Please?" Alvin nearly whined. He needed her to go to this. The plan had to take full effect. She needed to come to this party with him. "I like hanging out with you. I don't want to lose that completely. I'll give you space after the party if that's what you want, but it'd be great if you went with me. I'd really feel better, like the machete is buried."

"You mean the hatchet?" Jeanette asked.

"Yeah. That. So whaddya say?"

Jeanette sighed. "Just friends hanging out? No payment or debts?"

"No payment or debts," Alvin promised. But no promises on the " _just friends_ " part, Alvin guiltily added in his mind.

Jeanette bit her lip. Alvin stared at the action, straining not to think how cute that looked on her.

"I suppose," she finally said.

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Great!" Alvin closed the distance between them and hugged her. He didn't pick her up, twirl her, or squeeze too tight. He simply hugged her. And it felt nice.

Jeanette hugged him back then pulled away. "Good. If that's all, I'd really like to get back to my report."

"Ok, sure. No problem. I'll pick you up Saturday at eight."

"Sounds good. See you then."

"Yeah, yeah. See you then!" Alvin waved briefly then headed down the stairs and out the door, ignoring Eleanor's warning shouts that if she found her sister in anything but perfect condition he would answer to her.

* * *

Simon grunted under the weight of the books. The muscles in his arms strained to keep them all together while they threatened to fall all over the floor as he shuffled down the aisle.

The library—a peaceful place the chipmunk could go to relax and forget the chaos that currently decided to surround him, not so much physically but more so mentally. Yet last week Simon had found himself out of breath keeping up or surpassing his older brother in his attempts at making Simon prove his worth. This week contained more of the mental struggle.

Jeanette had put an end to their childish antics and wished to be left alone. Now where did that leave him?

This past week had been quiet. Alvin had been quiet. Simon figured he felt guilty for making Jeanette suffer. That was never the intention for either of them. It's a relief, though, because usually Alvin's silences meant he was scheming.

Simon severely hoped there was not another scheme over the horizon.

The blue-clad chipmunk maneuvered his way around a corner, hoping nothing hid outside of his sight, blocked by the stack of books. Luck left him, it seemed, when he did bump into someone. Apologies began falling from his lips before the last book had a chance to hit the ground. However, those soon died when he saw who he bumped into.

"J-Jeanette!" Simon exclaimed in surprise. Immediately he mentally berated himself. Of course! It was Thursday. Jeanette tried to get to the library sometime on Thursday. Why hadn't he remembered that? He had planned on giving her at least until next week before even daring to think about forcing himself to approach her. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid_ …

"Hello, Simon," Jeanette greeted with a brilliant smile. Getting to see her favorite chipmunk certainly warmed the chipette's heart. She had been rather disappointed that it had not been Simon who knocked on her door earlier that day. And now, seeing Simon's reserved and slightly fearful expression combined with him avoiding her gaze, she felt her smile fall. Is he mad at her? She supposes she couldn't blame him. She was rather harsh before (at least for her). So she lowered her gaze and bent down to pick up the books. "Sorry about this," she said quietly.

Simon broke himself out of his self-inflicted mental tormenting and bent down to help pick them up. "No, no. No trouble at all. This is hardly the first time I have taken on more than I could handle."

"Perhaps physically, but—but knowing you, y-you can handle all the knowledge these books contain." Jeanette catches Simon's eye, trying to convey that she forgave him and hoped he forgave her in return. The encouraging smile was returned with an incredulous look. Simon could feel the red scorch his cheeks.

It always took the chipmunk by surprise that whenever he was at his lowest, others would somehow sense it and build him back up. Jeanette was usually that person. Once he asked her how she was able to read him so easily. Jeanette's simple reply had been "I know you."

She certainly did. He knew her too. He forced himself out of his cloud-nine trance and observed her for a change, and she looked tired. That certainly concerned him. He and Jeanette were similar in that, although they took their studies seriously, they would not let it interfere with their sleep cycle. Simon had found plenty of studies showing how unhealthy it was, especially in such a critical growing period in their lives. He had told Jeanette as such, and she had assured him that she was consistent with her bedtime. In the week he had given her space, she had suffered. If her bedtime was the same, something must have kept her up at night.

Simon had a sinking feeling that he and Alvin were partly—or wholly—to blame for that.

"Th-Thank you, Jeanette," Simon near whispered when he finally forced himself to respond. "I know the same to be true for you." Simon waiting to continue speaking until after her modest smile and "thank you" had passed. "Jeanette, how have you been this past week? I—I would have come over earlier, but you needed your space. I respect that. I can…I can even leave now if you so desire." Though Simon suggested it, he dreaded the very thought. After a week of not seeing his beloved chipette, he was feeling deprived. He wanted to continue to be near her in all her beautiful, klutzy glory. His fears were put to rest when Jeanette giggled lightly and shook her head.

Oh how he loved her laugh.

"Not necessary. I believe the two of you have avoided me long enough. Frankly…it has been an awful week without you."

"Y-Yeah?" Simon felt his heart rate kick up a notch.

"A-And Alvin!" Jeanette quickly mended, feeling her face grow warm. "N-Not that it hasn't been, um, been great without—that's not…uh." Jeanette knew she was spiraling so she cleared her throat and started over. "W-What books are you getting?"

"Huh? Oh." Simon realized he and Jeanette were still seated on the floor sifting through his lost cargo. "Some study material for our upcoming English essay."

"Ah, the memoir study." Jeanette nodded. "I look forward to it."

"Me—Me too. A fascinating topic."

The two quietly gathered the last of the books. Jeanette took half the pile so her friend did not carry an overload. They walked to the desk and remained mostly silent throughout the checkout process. Simon proceeded to stuff the books into his bag. When he found that not all of them fit, he returned three that he deemed were of lesser importance. Then the two left the building. It was not until after they exited the library and began walking home that conversation picked back up.

Jeanette was the first to speak. "The, ah, the limitations are officially retracted."

"Hm?"

"You don't have to avoid me anymore…please don't avoid me."

Simon's heart broke a little when he saw Jeanette's put-out expression. "Yes! Certainly. I had hoped it would end soon."

"You did?"

Simon gulped, realizing the hole he dug himself. "Ah, yes. Most definitely. It is— _ahem_ —rather dull without your stimulating presence."

"Stimulating?" Jeanette teased with a giggle, relishing the fact that her friend and crush was back in her life.

"Intellectually stimulating!" Simon corrected vehemently. Then he laughed when he saw her mischievous expression. "You're as bad as Alvin."

This accusation made Jeanette laugh with him. "I don't know whether to be honored or insulted."

"A bit of both, but I was going for insulted."

"Well, consider your goal reached. I officially feel insulted." By Jeanette's smile and light tone, it was clear she was anything but.

The two friends laughed for another moment before Simon added, "You might want to tell Alvin the limitations are gone. He's been sulking all week." Simon has too, but he won't admit that.

"Oh, he already knows."

"He does?"

"Mm-hmm. He came by earlier today to apologize. I forgave him, obviously. We are on good terms again."

"You are?" Simon asked, still stuck on the fact that Alvin got to that point before him—although, Alvin had always been the more assertive of the two of them. And more than likely he lacked the patience to wait for Jeanette to approach him like Simon did.

"Yes. He has also promised for us to go back to our original friendship. I believe he felt guilty for ignoring me while with other friends and indebted to me. Also, I think he felt if he did not hang out with me regularly now that I wouldn't help him with his homework anymore."

"I see." That makes sense. Simon wonders why he had not thought of that.

"Silly fears if you ask me. I'm relieved we are going back to our normal routine. He has agreed to do so after the party on Saturday."

"Party?" Simon questions.

Jeanette nods. "Alvin insisted on taking me to Jefferson's party on Saturday."

"What?" Simon asked, rather breathless. He pushed down the rising panic that threatened to escape. What Jeanette said sounded awfully similar to a date. But that's impossible. Alvin and Jeanette? That's a laugh. Alvin, the coolest kid in school, his stronger older brother who always wins, lady charmer, wooing the lovely chipette with a heart of gold that blushes at the slightest compliment…

Wait a minute.

Jeanette continued talking, oblivious to her counterpart's uncomfortable speculations. "Yes. We are going as friends. He made sure I knew that. I believe he wanted to make a point that the two of us could hang out and be friends even with his other popular friends around. I already knew that, but he felt so bad I thought I should give him this one. He claims it was not out of guilt, and I believe him. I don't think he knows about it, but I think he still is feeling a little guilty. But from how he acted in our earlier conversation, I feel I can safely hypothesize that this party will be the last of his attempts at payment, everything will go back to normal afterward."

Jeanette's elaboration makes Simon's crazy theory evaporate. The chipmunk almost feels like laughing at himself. How could he have even for a second entertained the idea of his brother and his crush being together? Preposterous.

"Are you going?"

Jeanette's question brings Simon out of his thoughts. "To what? The party?"

"Harold Jefferson's party, yes."

"I don't think so. I, uh, I wasn't invited."

"Neither was I, but I was invited by someone who was already going. Since I'm already going, I invite you."

"I don't know…"

"Please?" Jeanette fought her reserved nature in order to reach her hand out to take Simon's. That action slowed the two of them down to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk, a block away in opposite directions of their respective homes. Simon looked down at their joined hands then up at Jeanette's big, bright eyes. They beg just as much as her words as she speaks. "Please, Simon? It would mean a lot to me if you came."

How could he say no?

"I—I suppose I could. F-For you."

Jeanette's answering smile and hug are reward enough for suffering through a jock party.

"Thank you so much, Simon," Jeanette says when she pulls away. "That makes me feel better about this whole thing. I know Alvin is well-meaning, but Brittany is going to this party too. We both know how they can get when around each other."

"A little one-track minded," Simon offered.

"That's one way of putting it," Jeanette agrees. "Knowing a…a closer friend will be there already takes a weight off my shoulders. N-Not that I don't trust Alvin. The party scene isn't really my, um…my thing."

"Say no more, madam," Simon says. He puffs his chest out slightly, feeling valiant, like he's coming to Jeanette's rescue. Her coming to him for help certainly gave him a confidence boost. "I would never leave a lady to fend for herself in uncharted waters alone."

Jeanette laughs, further boosting Simon's ego. Boy, it was good to have her in his life again.

After this, the two finish their walk with amiable chatter and part ways on a good note, both actually looking forward to Saturday even though it is not their scene.


	6. Chapter 6

**I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY! I swear I meant to get this out sooner. I really, _really_ did, but the end of the school year happened and this boy asked me out which thoroughly distracted me then my brother graduated and a ton of family was over and...excuses excuses. Pardon me. **

**This is not the last chapter. I was going to make it the last chapter, but I felt so guilty for not getting you guys an update so the next chapter will be the last chapter. I'm nearly certain on this fact unless I make a little epilogue or something.**

 **Let me know what you think because your reviews really did fuel this story. Again, I'm sorry I couldn't deliver this sooner. I hope it was worth at least some of the wait!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Just the idea.**

* * *

Alvin shifted from the balls of his feet to his heels, forcing himself not to pace. Harold Jefferson's party was tonight. _The_ party of the term, no question. He couldn't be late. But he couldn't be early either. He was cool. He had to keep that rep by arriving perfectly on time for such a title which meant not too early and risk looking like one of the dweebs floating around the punch bowl or being there too late and missing the beginning of when things get into full swing. It was an art Alvin had perfected over the years, but if his brothers were going to make him wait _one more minute_ he was leaving without them. He's not kidding.

The red-clad chipmunk was none too pleased at learning that Simon was invited along by Jeanette. Since the whole point of the night for Alvin was Jeanette, he couldn't very well make her mad by uninviting Simon. Alvin quickly figured in how that worked with his plan for the night while taking a deep breath. He could do this if he was crafty, which he was, he thought proudly, but does Theodore really have to come too? Dave had gotten wind of their youngest brother being left out of the "group time" and made the brothers take him along. So _of course_ Theodore had to invite Eleanor.

Alvin sighed again. This date turned into a group date fast enough to make his head spin, but he was not about to let that ruin his plan.

"Let's _go!_ " Alvin shouted upstairs for the third time.

"Have some _patience!_ " Simon yelled back.

Alvin ground his teeth. Patience never would be his strongest suit. Simon knew that and was playing it against him. This prompted Alvin to play against him.

"Hey Dave," Alvin called heading for the front door.

"Yes, Alvin?" Dave called back.

"Simon and Theo are taking a while. I'll just head over to the girls' place to make sure they know we are still coming. Can't have them leaving without us!"

"Alright Alvin. Thanks for letting me know."

With that, Alvin was out the door. He got into a dead sprint for the girls' place. If he knew Simon, he will be none too pleased at hearing that Alvin ditched them…again.

* * *

Jeanette reached up and fixed that curl of hair that insisted on falling out of place to lie against her forehead. Other than that, she had no qualms with how she looked tonight despite allowing Brittany and Eleanor to have practically free reign of her appearance. Thankfully, Brittany has gotten past the "Let's change her into me!" phase from childhood and opted for a calmer version of her style—but purple.

Hair curled and done up in a more styling bun with a purple ribbon. Shorter skirt than usual with leggings underneath. A white blouse with turquoise jewelry to match the thin turquoise stripes in her purple skirt. To finish it off, three inch heels (down from the four Brittany wanted, but Eleanor won that argument).

Jeanette felt pretty. Jeanette also felt a little hot. That's new for her and not completely unwelcome. With that thought, she indulged in wondering what Simon's reaction would be. Hopefully he will notice and compliment her. While fixing her hair, Brittany had assured Jeanette that yes, Simon would notice. Whether or not he would be able to get a compliment through all his nervousness, who knows?

The doorbell rang and pulled Jeanette out of her thoughts.

"I'll get it!" she called upstairs to where her sisters were getting ready. When she opened the door, she was disappointed at not seeing Simon. That feeling was pushed aside by her surprise at only seeing Alvin.

"Hi Alvin," she greeted sweetly. "Where are your brothers?"

At first, the chipmunk didn't answer. He stood there with wide eyes and a slack jaw, staring.

"Alvin?"

"Huh? What? Oh. Uh, they were taking too long as I'm sure your sisters are too, huh?" Alvin said, snapping back into his childish attitude.

Jeanette rubbed her forearm shyly. The girls had spent so long on making sure she looked perfect that they neglected to save much time for themselves. "S-Something like that, yes."

"You look beautiful," Alvin said. The seriousness in his voice matched his earnest expression. The intensity of it surprised Jeanette. "I mean, you always look lovely, but tonight you are exceptional."

Jeanette flushed. Her entire face turned red. Her voice was stuck in her throat. This was not the chipmunk she expected such a high compliment from, but it had nearly the same effect.

"O-O-Oh…wow—uh, th-thank you, Alvin." Jeanette couldn't look directly at him.

Alvin grinned, happy with the fact that his compliment had such an effect on her. "Anytime. I mean it." Alvin took a step back and gave a flourished gesture to the door. "Ready to go?"

Jeanette was still recovering from the compliment and barely got out, "B-But my sisters aren't…and Simon and Theo—"

"Ah, they're all taking too long to arrive on time," Alvin waved it off. "Besides, I invited you first. I am officially your escort. It would be an honor to accompany you tonight."

"B-But—"

Alvin offered her his arm. "Please? I said I would take you, and I plan on doing just that. No arriving and leaving you to talk to others or ignoring you in conversation or…some other third thing. We're friends aren't we? Let me be a friend. Come on."

Jeanette wrung her hands together. He had a compelling case. And really, there was no reason he couldn't bring her there. He knew how parties worked just as much as Brittany did. And he promised not to leave her once there so she wouldn't just be standing around awkwardly.

"Ok. Let me tell Miss Miller and my sisters first." Jeanette went back inside to Miss Miller in the kitchen. "Miss Miller, I'm going to the party a little early. Alvin will be with me."

"You're leaving early with the chipmunks?"

"Actually, Simon and Theodore will be along in a minute, Miss Miller. Alvin will be escorting me to the party since he was the one who invited me in the first place."

Miss Miller nodded and gave her understanding. "Be sure to tell your sisters."

Alvin cut in at this point. "Actually, could you do that, Miss Miller? We have to be there soon and don't have time."

"I suppose so. Have a good time, darlings!"

"Oh we will!" Alvin said. He grabbed Jeanette's hand and pulled her through the house, out the door, off the porch, and down the sidewalk.

He didn't let go of her hand even when they settled into a nice pace. At first, Alvin was at a loss for words which made him particularly uncomfortable. He is not used to being the shy one, but then Jeanette asks how he is coming along with the _Beyond Reasonable Thought_ books and suddenly he can talk again. Alvin had been reading them throughout the week that Jeanette banned him and Simon from her life. It was his way of reconnecting with her. And he actually was enjoying the books. Who knew?

That conversation got them to the party. As Alvin had hoped, they arrived right on time—when things were getting into full swing without being too early.

Jeanette could already feel herself clamming up. Parties were never her scene. She felt herself slowing her steps, but Alvin's firm grip on her hand gave a reassuring squeeze. Jeanette looked at him and his confident smile. She smiled back. Really, she was with the best possible person to be at a party with—next to Brittany, that is. Alvin knew his way around a party. Jeanette could trust him.

They eventually make their way to the punch bowl after a few friends catch Alvin up in conversation. To Jeanette's surprise, he ends the conversations rather quickly. When he did, he gave her a smile and apologized.

Jeanette was starting to get suspicious.

* * *

"I cannot believe that twerp would ditch us like that!" Brittany near screeched. The abandoned chipmunks and chipettes were a block away from the party. Brittany had yet to stop complaining from the moment they left the house. "And he claims he's a gentleman sometimes. Yeah right."

"Yes, we are all aware of Alvin's jerk-like tendencies. Thank you Brittany," Simon said, trying to placate her into quieting down. He was in no better mood than her. He was looking forward to spending the night with Jeanette. Then his brother had to come around and swipe her away—again. Simon wondered how long this grudge would be held against him. It was starting to affect his love life. Oh well, Simon had a Plan B. He knew Jeanette didn't like parties. After a short while he would ask if Jeanette wanted to get out of there, they would go for a walk, maybe grab some ice cream, and then he would ask her out. Officially. Like he has wanted to for a while now.

Nothing will stop him tonight. Simon was determined.

Finally, they arrived at the party. Brittany didn't stick around long. After a squeal of "Oh _hi!_ " she was off. Theodore soon dragged Eleanor to the refreshments table. Simon followed, but got jostled enough by the other partygoers that he loses sight of them. Simon looked around, searching for a familiar face, but the crowd he usually hangs around with did not hang around with this crowd. He felt out-of-place.

What was he supposed to do now?

"Simon?"

Oh sweet, _sweet_ relief.

"Jeanette! Hi. How—How…how…" Simon turned around and caught sight of Jeanette—lovely, lovely Jeanette. The sight of her in—in _that_ had Simon's mouth going dry.

Jeanette blushed. "I'm well. How about yourself?"

Simon cleared his throat. "I—ahem—I'm well. Thank-Thank you. Where's Alvin?" he asked, realizing his brother was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm not sure. I needed to find the restroom. When I came back he was gone."

Simon felt himself seethe. How dare his brother ditch Jeanette! Alvin was never that cruel to any date of his, but this was Jeanette, his friend. Simon supposed Alvin thought it alright to just leave her to fend for herself in this shark tank.

The blue-clad chipmunk pushed through his anger for Jeanette's sake. "Well, I'd be happy to take his place for the night. Mind if I keep you company?"

"N-N-No, not at all. I'd—I'd like that."

"You would?"

"Yes."

"Great."

"Good."

The two stood there, smiling at one another with those dopey grins neither knew were on their faces.

The music slowed in that moment. The lights dimmed ever-so-slightly. A slow dance. Of course. Simon was unsure if this was good luck or bad luck playing in his favor. Either way, he knew he should not let the slip by. He didn't want to.

Simon held out his hand. "Care to, um…Care to dance, Jeanette?"

Jeanette looked down at her shoes and blushed a deeper shade than before. Then she took a deep breath and forced herself to look up and smile. "I—I would love to, Simon."

Simon took her hand—both his and hers were sweaty—and gently guided her to the dining room which had been transformed into a dance floor for the teens. Tentatively, Simon put his slightly-shaky hands on Jeanette's hips. The chipette returned the gesture by placing her hands on Simon's shoulders.

It took a bit, but they eventually got into a rhythm. They were both dancers; the steps were not the problem. The problem was the nerves that ate away at each of them. Starting out with them separated nearly at arm's length changed as they inched towards one another. Their gazes had been anywhere but the person across from them. Then, when they were close enough to feel the heat of the other's body, their eyes finally met and tentative smiles were exchanged.

Jeanette felt comfortable as she looked at her counterpart. He really was something special. Especially if he could make her feel so secure—a feeling she rarely had. Oh how she adored him in all his genius, bespeckled glory.

Simon felt his heart calm its rapid movements when he looked at her violet eyes. Jeanette's grounded attitude, quick wit, and general pleasure with the world had Simon's admiration. He would like to keep that around…keep that in his life…perhaps now would be…

"J-Jeanette?" Simon forced himself to speak.

"Yes, Simon?" Jeanette said as quietly as Simon. The slow song created that sort of atmosphere one wouldn't want to disturb.

"I—uh—would…would you perhaps like to go—"

Several blaring notes interrupted Simon's speech. The sudden jolt of a faster beat and louder vocals separated all couples on the floor, including the chipmunk and chipette. The tune was a familiar, fast-paced Latin tune. Simon physically deflated at the loss of the moment. He looked to Jeanette who also appeared disappointed. Simon was about to ask if she would like to take a walk outside with him in a hopeful attempt to get the moment back, but a certain red-clad chipmunk interrupts all thoughts on that front.

Alvin appears from behind Jeanette. "Hey!" he says a little louder than usual to be heard over the music. "I've been looking all over for you."

Jeanette recovered from the sudden appearance and replies. "W-Well, you were taking a while. I thought you had—"

Alvin interrupted. "Don't even say it. I'm not abandoning you tonight. I just had to talk to the DJ and request this song. A personal favorite of yours, I presume?"

Jeanette's eyes widen in surprise. It was true. It was something of a secret that only her sisters knew about. She likes salsa music. It gets her blood moving, making her body ache, needing to move.

"How did you—?"

"Nevermind how I know. I just know. That's why I requested it."

"Alvin," Jeanette said softly, "that's really…"

Alvin held out his hand, causing Jeanette's words to trail away. "Care to dance, m'lady?"

Jeanette looks back at Simon who looks as stunned as Jeanette feels. She doesn't want to abandon Simon, but she did promise to hang out with Alvin tonight. And…it's just one dance. No harm done. Jeanette gave Simon a small smile and pats his arm. "I'll catch up with you again after this. Ok?"

Simon nodded numbly. "Ok."

With that, Jeanette took Alvin's hand. He immediately led her to the middle of the dance floor. Jeanette could already feel the music getting to her. The fast beat and quick melody begged her to follow its lead. Jeanette wanted to dance—really dance.

Alvin helped her do just that.

Jeanette always knew Alvin was a good dancer, but this proved that he was a _great_ dancer. He kept up with the beat, added flair with the melody, and still managed to make Jeanette feel like she contributed to the dance—which she totally did.

Jeanette practiced this style in secret, and Alvin found himself trying to keep up with her. Seeing her shake her hips and move her feet in such an enticing and exciting manner was a sight to behold. One that Alvin was glad he wasn't missing out on.

The two dance in sync so well together that others began to notice. The dance floor turned into a spotlight show as people stop dancing and become onlookers to the spectacle the chipmunk and chipette were giving.

The song finally ended, but the cheering of the crowd brings an encore. The two happily oblige. Finally, after the second dance, they finish up, leaving the dance floor, allowing others to take center-stage.

"That was amazing!" Jeanette exclaimed. "I can't believe it. That was—that was wonderful. Oh, thank you, Alvin!" Jeanette threw her arms around the chipmunk.

Alvin felt more of a rush from that hug than from all the dancing they just did. He returned it fully, even going so far as to pick her up and twirl her around. Jeanette laughed. When they pull back, they are both flushed with silly grins on their faces.

During the dance, people had flocked to the dance floor, leaving the area difficult to navigate. This lead Alvin to lean in close to Jeanette and say, "Wanna go get some air?"

Jeanette nodded. Alvin took her hand and led her through the crowd, to the door, and led her to the front yard. The house was a perfect place for a party. Big enough for a lot of people, far enough away from neighbors so no complaints of noise, and a large yard front and back—places for couples to spend some time in relative privacy away from the hoard.

Alvin made it a point to keep Jeanette's hand as they strolled around the park. Jeanette didn't seem to notice as she was animatedly talking about the experience they had just shared.

"It was amazing! I haven't had a partner to dance like that in such a long time. Not since I took lessons that one summer."

"So that's how you got so good? You took lessons?"

Jeanette's blush went from pleasure to embarrassment. "W-Well just for salsa dancing. It is simply invigorating! I can't seem to keep myself from it."

"Those lessons paid off. I was having to keep up with you!" Alvin laughed as he said this.

"Really?"

"Really." Alvin gave Jeanette's hand a squeeze. Jeanette finally noticed that their hands were still connected. She blushed once again in embarrassment, but this time for an entirely different reason. She lightly flexed her fingers to give Alvin an out—waiting for him to let go. He didn't. He gave her his signature grin and gave her hand another squeeze, leading her further down the backyard.

Jeanette allowed herself to be led. They continued their idle chatter until they came near one of the big trees in the back. Alvin gradually guided them toward the side of the tree facing away from the house. Yes, there were a few other couples and groups of friends hanging out in back around the pool, but the real party was inside, and that is where the majority of people were.

Alvin decided it was time to take advantage of the relative privacy. He felt like his insides were about to burst as Jeanette turned her head to look at him and give a small, shy smile. The sky was a dark blue color since the sun had set not too long ago. This gave a nice backdrop for Jeanette as he stared.

The red-clad chipmunk opened his mouth to say the words he's been wanting to say all night. They glued themselves to his throat, and Alvin felt his mouth go dry. His tongue felt heavy. The back of his head felt itchy. His stomach continued to churn. The suffering boy leaned against the tree for some sort of support. Alvin had never been this nervous around a girl before. He's romanced plenty of girls! What's so different here?

The difference is the possibility of rejection from a girl he really likes.

That is terrifying.

 _Why did she have to look so pretty? Why did she have to be so nice? Why did these feelings have to pop up now?_

Alvin mentally slapped himself and stood tall on his feet once more. His weakness and sudden surge of energy happened in less than a few seconds so Jeanette did not even have time to comment on his slack state before he straightened once more. The show of confidence surprised Jeanette only slightly. She was used to his confidence but wondered what had caused it to lapse in the first place.

Jeanette gets her answer a moment later when Alvin bursts out with his confession.

"Jeanette, I like you," he says with more confidence than he feels. "I like you a lot and more than a friend. I know I said this was just as friend, but I was kind of hoping that this could be a gateway to a date because that's how much I like you. I want to date you. I think you're pretty, smart, and fun to be around. I would be honored, madam, if you'd let me take you out to dinner next week then rewatch the _Beyond Reasonable Thought_ DVDs with me. What do you say?"

Jeanette was stunned to silence. Of all the things she expected Alvin to be thinking about right now, she did not expect that. At all. Whatsoever. Not one bit. Her usually quick mind ground to a halt and refused to start up again as she stared at the nervous chipmunk. This kept her from analyzing how on earth she felt about this possibility that was unexpectedly thrust upon her.

Nervous was the wrong word to use. Alvin was petrified at her silence. His grand smile faltered, falling into a grimace.

" _What?!_ "

Jeanette and Alvin both turned to look at Simon. Of course. Of course Simon heard the entire thing. Of course he was there in that moment that Alvin thought it was safe to confess. Of course he was the first one to find his voice again. However, he was not the first to gain back full control of his mental capacities. Oh no—his brain stopped working and refused to listen to reason as he charged straight up to his brother who backed away slightly with his hands up in self-defense. That was a smart move because Simon was _mad_. Beyond mad. Simon had been betrayed by his own brother. Simon was infuriated.

" _How could you?!_ " Simon shouted at Alvin who looked ashamed. "You _knew_ I liked her. You _knew_ I held a flame for her. You _knew_ I was going to ask her out eventually, and you still did this—this—this _atrocity_."

Simon's anger infected his brother, and Alvin stepped up and began standing his ground.

"I didn't _plan_ on falling for Jeanette out of nowhere. You knew how great she is and you still held back because of your stupid fear. You should have done it sooner. You aren't the only one to notice how amazing Jeanette is. You're just slower than the competition."

" _Competition!_ " Simon screeched. "COMPETITION. You should never have been competition. You have Brittany. You've always had Brittany. You're the one that's stuck on fear. She's something special to you, but you refused to admit it so you went for an easier target!"

" _Hey!_ You have no idea how strong my feelings for Jeanette are. Don't lessen them!"

" _Feelings!_ "

That was enough to set off both boys. The insults thrown hurt more than any punch either of them could throw.

Jeanette watched as the two exchanged verbal blows, feeling completely helpless. Her brain has barely sifted through the information of Alvin liking her. Now she hears that Simon likes her? The brothers are _fighting over her?_

She had to stop this.

Usually Simon listened to reason, but right now sensible talk was not the priority for anyone. A little voice in the back of Jeanette's head reminded her of what her older sister told her once. Boys respond more readily to action. Jeanette did not know whether or not that was true, but she was willing to try anything then. Simon's nasty words and furious expression were scaring her. She wanted that anger gone. That goal was enough for her to take action. She placed her hands on either side of Simon's face, turned and yanked his head so it was close to hers, and firmly placed her lips upon his, successfully silencing him.

Simon was not the only one silenced. Alvin stood there, dead quiet, watching as his brother claimed victory in the strange, unpleasant game the two of them had been playing.

When the two pulled away and stared at one another—Simon with shock and Jeanette with determination—Alvin cleared his throat. They turned to look at him.

No one said anything as Alvin felt his heart drop into his shoes. He ignored the hollow pain in his chest. He wasn't used to losing. He wasn't sure what to do. The uncertainty of the situation made Alvin panic inwardly. What to do now? What to do now...

Alvin fell back on something he was good at.

He turned and ran away, but not before his brother and Jeanette saw the absolute devastation on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

**FINAL CHAPTER IS FINALLY HERE. I wrote this quick and without editing so it's not perfect, but it's here and it's done and I'm happy. Yay! Writer's block is a nasty, nasty thing. You never know what's going to cause it until it's there without warning, making you stare at the blank page angrily. Oh well. Still done!**

 **Disclaimer: Still own nothing**

* * *

Had it always been cold outside? Alvin didn't think it was all that cold outside earlier when he had walked to the party. Now it was cold. Freezing cold. Or was that his heart? It's frozen. Or broken. Either one. His heart isn't working right now. It's too hurt.

His breathing was kind of wonky too. Ragged. His lungs hurt too. Why did so many things hurt? His body even hurt from his sprint to…where was he? He was sitting on a curb, not bothering to glance around to get his bearings on where it was he rested.

What now? That question still loomed in his mind. Step 1: Run Away. Check. Step 2:…who knows?

How was Alvin supposed to face anyone now? No doubt Simon and Jeanette were laughing at him as he sat there, miserable. They probably went back into the party. Jeanette was probably dancing with Simon, that salsa dance that was so amazing—only this time it would be for Simon, not Alvin.

He screwed it up. How did this happen? He didn't mean for this to happen…despite what Simon thinks, it really was an innocent crush. The feelings were real. Maybe that's why Alvin didn't know how to handle them.

It's so cold. Outside and inside.

"Alvin?"

Why couldn't it have been Dave who found him? Or Theodore? Or even Simon?

Jeanette stared at Alvin's back, uncertain on how to do this. But, this conversation needed to happen. Jeanette moved forward. She knew not to touch him right now. Instead she sat down beside him, still giving him plenty of room.

"Alvin, make a noise if you realize that I'm here."

Alvin let out a barely audible sigh.

"Ok good. Um…"

The silence that rested between them was not only awkward, it was heavy. It was a burden they both carried that only conversation could lessen.

Jeanette dug out her courage and forced it to work in her favor.

"Alvin, I-I am…beyond flattered that you—you think you like me."

"What?! Not you too!"

Alvin's exclamation made Jeanette nearly jump out of her skin, prepping her to leap from her spot and take off if necessary. However, she was rooted in place as Alvin ranted.

"Think I like you? I do like you! That's the whole reason for this mess. It's because I like you. I like you and I had no idea what to do and so I did something and it was the wrong thing and now we're here and I don't know what to do!"

Alvin threw up his arms then slumped so far forward, his head almost reached the street.

Jeanette calmed her heart before speaking. "Alvin, again, I'm flattered, but n-n-no." Jeanette was not used to saying no, being the people pleaser she was. "I think you think you like me."

The chipmunk let out a huge sigh. "What's the difference?" was his muddled response. He refused to look up.

"I-I think…the difference is just that I'm—I'm something different."

Now Alvin looked up and stared at her, finally daring to look her in the eye. "Are you selling yourself short?"

"No! No. Not in this." Jeanette wrinkled her nose, trying to put her thoughts into words. She took a deep breath and forced herself not to stutter. "You might like me because I was a change. I am not your usual—your typical…I'm different from girls like Brittany. And that's ok. I'm ok with that. But you haven't been exposed to it as much. I was more of a novel, and that might be part of these feelings. Another part, I believe, is that you associated me with good events. Those good grades, the _Beyond Reasonable Thought_ stories, and so on."

Alvin digested this thought. Was that possible? Could he have really just associated Jeanette with success? With good things?

"But…really?" was all he could come up with.

"Really," Jeanette nodded. "I know you like Brittany—honestly, truly like her. She's the one for you. It's obvious. You just lost sight of it for a minute. Think about it—Brittany is a challenge, she's fun, she's got spunk, a spark that helps light your fire."

"That was a little too cheesy for my tastes," Alvin lamely joked.

Jeanette smiled anyway. "But it's true, isn't it?"

Alvin thought about it. Brittany was pretty while also being quick-witted, different from book smarts. She was all bright colors and flair. She was a beacon of flashing lights. Something that lights up his life.

Jeanette had a different light. It was calming, serene, trusting. She brought him down a notch rather than riling him up. That was just fine. But…was that really what he wanted the rest of his life?

If he was being absolutely, totally, and completely honest….no. No it wasn't.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

The silence returned, but it wasn't as heavy as before.

Then, "How's, uh, how's Simon?"

"Confused at best," Jeanette said. "One of his best friends in the world blindsided him. He's a little bitter."

"Surprise, surprise."

"I'm gonna have to make this up to him somehow."

"Oh I don't think you have to make anything up to him. It's more…you have to show him you're done with me. You-You are done with me, right? A-At least in that way?"

Alvin waited a few seconds before answering, making sure he knew his answer. "Yeah, no. I'm done with that, I think."

Jeanette smiled, relieved. "Good. I'm glad."

Alvin chuckled. "Is the thought of dating me really that bad?"

"What? No! No, no, no." When Jeanette saw Alvin's grin, she smacks him lightly on the shoulder. "Tease."

Alvin shrugged. "It's what I do."

Jeanette bit her lip. "If…If you want some help, I think I have an idea to help this blow over. You'll like this plan, it has a grand gesture involved."

"Go big or go home, that's my motto."

Jeanette nodded. "Right. So—"

"Jeanette?"

"Yes?"

"You won't tell Brittany about this, will you?"

Jeanette shook her head. "Some things are better left in the dark. Besides, after my plan, it will be like this never happened."

"Jeanette?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…for…yeah. Thanks."

Jeanette leaned in and hugged Alvin. He hugged back, tighter than her because his gratefulness cannot be put into words—her not laughing at him, her helping him talk through his crush, her keeping a secret, from her sister even.

When they pull away, Jeanette donned a mischievous grin. "Here's the plan."

* * *

Brittney huffed. Honestly, where had Alvin run off to? She has gotten all prettied up for nothing! Why even bother if the guy you want to see you looking all nice isn't even there?

Brittney wasn't a crier, but sometimes she felt the emotion of disappointment grip her throat, and she has to swallow it down.

Maybe she should just leave.

Then the song changed. Her favorite pop song came on, lilting through the room, asking for listeners to dance. Brittney debated…maybe one more dance. _Then_ she will leave. But before she can take one step to the dance floor, someone took her hand. She turned and saw a pair of familiar eyes.

"Alvin? Oh. You finally decided to show up. Well, I was just about to leave so you can let go—oh!"

Alvin tugged the surprised chipette onto the dance floor. He pulled her to him, gave her one of his signature smoldering grins, and began stepping to the beat. Brittney automatically followed his lead.

"What—"

"You look beautiful tonight," Alvin said. The sincerity in his voice throws Brittney off. How was she supposed to respond to that? He's never really said things like that before.

"Uh, don't—don't think you're getting out of—"

"I'm not trying to get out of anything. And I'm not trying to avoid anything. I'm here, with you, on the dance floor. I requested your favorite song."

"You…you…"

"Brittney, have I ever told you how much I like you?"

"Wh-wha—"

"I do. I really do. In fact, everyone should know! Why haven't I said this sooner?"

Alvin twirled Brittney so they were parallel to one another and connected by only one of their hands.

"Everyone should know that I admire the Great Brittney Miller!"

"Alvin!" Brittney wasn't sure if she should be flattered or horrified. She was both. This was all she ever wanted. Him to notice her, to proclaim that she was his, that he wanted her. So she went with flattered while still slightly horrified because, you know, her reputation was still at stake. Some of the onlookers smiled and clapped. Most ignored the spectacle because they could not hear over the music.

"Beautiful Brittney Miller is the best girl in the world," Alvin twirled her into him. He smiled down at her and lowered her voice when he said, "And if she will let me, I would like to take her out to dinner next Friday night."

Brittney was sure her face was on fire from how much she was blushing.

He liked her. He LIKED her. Elation finally began to settle into Brittney. She couldn't stop the squeal that escaped her as she flung herself forward to hug Alvin. For a minute, she allowed herself to soak in the happiness.

Finally, finally he wanted her.

Alvin felt the familiarity and comfort of Brittney's embrace, better than Jeanette's he concludes. Better for him, at least. He glances over to where Jeanette and Simon are standing on the edge of the dance floor. Jeanette waves as she squeezes Simon's hand. Simon looks at Alvin. Jeanette explained to him the situation. He understands, but it will still take a while for him and Alvin to fully get past this episode. But they're brothers. They're blood. They're family. They will get through this.

Simon gives Alvin a small grin. That grin reassures Alvin there are no hard feelings, especially now they are both with their rightful girls.

THE END


	8. ALTERNATE ENDING

**I admire all of you who have beta readers and those keeping you accountable in your writing. I should probably get someone to kick my butt into gear and write more.**

 **This is dedicated to TheWinterMe because of the in-depth review that came my way not too long ago. I appreciate it. And look what came of it-an alternate ending!**

 **This is for all those who were disappointed that Alvin and Jeanette didn't get together. This isn't my best piece, but here you go. I wanted to give you guys something because it turns out the Chipmunk fandom is a dedicated one that makes me smile and writes great reviews! The story becomes different after the italicized part.**

 **Disclaimer: Still own nothing to do with them...**

* * *

 _Had it always been cold outside? Alvin didn't think it was all that cold outside earlier when he had walked to the party. Now it was cold. Freezing cold. Or was that his heart? It's frozen. Or broken. Either one. His heart isn't working right now. It's too hurt._

 _His breathing was kind of wonky too. Ragged. His lungs hurt too. Why did so many things hurt? His body even hurt from his sprint to...where was he? He was sitting on a curb, not bothering to glance around to get his bearings on where it was he rested._

 _What now? That question still loomed in his mind. Step 1: Run away. Check. Step 2:...who knows?_

 _How was Alvin supposed to face anyone now? No doubt Simon and Jeanette were laughing at him as he sat there, miserable. They probably went back to the party. Jeanette was probably dancing with Simon, that salsa dance that was so amazing—only this time it would be for Simon, not Alvin._

 _He screwed it up. How did this happen? He didn't mean for this to happen...despite what Simon thinks, it really was an innocent crush. The feelings were real. Maybe that's why Alvin didn't know how to handle them._

 _It's so cold. Outside and inside._

 _"Alvin?"_

 _Why couldn't it have been Dave who found him? Or Theodore? Or even Simon?_

 _Jeanette stared at Alvin's back, uncertain on how to do this. But this conversation needed to happen. Jeanette moved forward. She knew not to touch him right now. Instead she sat down beside him, still giving him plenty of room._

 _"Alvin, make a noise if you realize that I'm here."_

 _Alvin let out a barely audible sigh._

 _"Ok good. Um..."_

 _The silence that rested between them was not only awkward, it was heavy. It was a burden they both carried that only conversation could lessen._

 _Jeanette dug out her courage and forced it to work in her favor._

 _"Alvin, I-I am...beyond flattered that you—you think you like me."_

 _"What?! Not you too!"_

 _Alvin's exclamation made Jeanette nearly jump out of her skin, prepping her to leap from her spot and take off if necessary. However, she was rooted in place as Alvin ranted._

 _"Think I like you? I do like you! That's the whole reason for this mess. It's because I like you. I like you and I had no idea what to do and so I did something and it was the wrong thing and now we're here and I don't know what to do!"_

 _Alvin threw up his arms then slumped so far forward, his head almost reached the street._

 _Jeanette calmed her heart before speaking. "Alvin, again, I'm flattered, but n-n-no." Jeanette was not used to saying no, being the people pleaser she was. "I think you think you like me."_

 _Now Alvin looked up and stared at her, finally daring to look her in the eye. "Are you selling yourself short?"_

 _"No! No. Not in this." Jeanette wrinkled her nose, trying to put her thoughts into words. She took a deep breath and forced herself not to stutter. "You might like me because I was a change. I am not your usual—your typical...I'm different from girls like_ _Brittany_ _. And that's ok. I'm ok with that. But you haven't been exposed to it as much. I was more of a novel, and that might be part of these feelings. Another part, I believe, is that you associated me with good events. Those good grades, the Beyond Reasonable Thought stories, and so on."_

 _Alvin digested this. Was that possible? Could he have really just associated Jeanette with success? With good things?_

 _..._

No.

"No."

"What?" Jeanette doesn't hear his whispered word.

"I said no." Alvin's voice grows louder. Firmer. "No, I don't just associate you with good things."

Jeanette's face falls. "Oh Alvin. Please think about this. It makes sense—"

"Yeah sure it does, but that doesn't make it true."

"What?" Jeanette says again. "What d-do you mean?"

"So what if I associate you with good things? Good things have happened to me since we've hung out more. You're one of the good things that have happened to me too. You're good. You're a good person, you do good things, and you make me feel good. Why can't I like you for that?"

"I-I'm not saying you can't—" Jeanette tried.

"Then why not let me? I do like you! I _like_ you. I like _you_. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Buh—Because it-it-it's not...you don't—"

"Yes I do." Alvin took her hand. He squeezed it as he stared into her eyes. He kept steady whilst her eyes darted between the street, their hands, and his eyes. She leaned away from him but didn't pull away.

"What about Brittany?" Jeanette blurted out. "You like her. You've always liked her. It's her you should be with. You're just st-stubborn."

"What? I can't change my mind? Think I can't see when something better comes along?"

"S-Something b-better?" As Alvin talked, Jeanette's stutter got worse. She can't believe it—didn't want to believe it. "M-M-Me?"

"Yes. You."

"But—no!" Jeanette exclaimed. "That isn't how it goes. Brittany's your match. She's a challenge, she's fun, she's got spunk—a spark that helps you light your fire. You've got fire. I'm—I-I am water. You just lost sight of that. She's the one for you. It's obvious."

Alvin laughed once, without humor. "Maybe we all think it's obvious because we never considered there to be any other possibility." The chipmunk lets go of the chipette's hand. He stood and began pacing. He was on a roll with his thoughts and wasn't about to lose it. "I mean, I always thought that too until I started liking you. That's when I really looked at you and I like what I see. You're smart, talented, super nice, and beautiful. What's wrong with liking you? Nothing! It's not wrong."

"You," he continued, turning to finally look at her. Her large eyes stared at him in awe more than fear now. That gave him courage. "Sure, Brittany's a fun challenge, but...but she's only ever riled me up. You don't. You...you..." Alvin kneeled down in front of Jeanette. He took her hand again and spoke honestly, hoping finally someone would believe him—that she would believe him. "You help keep me in check. You calm me down. You know I have potential and help bring it out in better ways."

"I know," Alvin winced when he forces himself to say this next part, "I'm not Simon. I'm not book smart. But I'm street smart. I hope that counts for something. And I really care about you. That should count for a lot. Because I like you, Jeanette Miller. I really, really like you, and I'd like to take you out to dinner sometime. If you'll give me the chance..."

Jeanette was quiet for one agonizingly endless minute. She stared at him as Alvin awaited his fate.

Alvin liked her. He truly liked her. This amount of earnestness—eagerness—she didn't know anyone was capable of it. Well, Alvin was apparently. It's not surprising. He was always a passionate one. She never even thought of the possibility of that passion being directed at her. Not in a million years. Popular, happy-go-lucky, good-hearted Alvin liked her. Her.

Did she like him back? She hadn't considered it. Maybe she could. Maybe she already did.

Only one way to find out.

She breathed her answer, making it quieter than a whisper, but with Alvin already straining to hear it, he caught it.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok," Jeanette said again, looking as if she didn't believe it herself.

"You like me?"

"I like you."

"I'm not Brittany," Jeanette said louder, but still softly, bringing up her last line of defense. "I never will be."

"I'm not asking you to be Brittany. I don't want you to be Brittany. I want you to be you because you are the one I like."

Jeanette smiled. She finally smiled. "Yeah?" she asked with hope.

"Yeah." Alvin stood then helped her to her feet. "So you'll let me take you out?"

"Yeah."

Alvin laughed with actual joy this time. He couldn't help himself; he rushed to grab her around the waist, pick her up, and spin her around. He felt Jeanette shake with laughter too. The laughter went directly in his ear from how close she was. He loved how close she was.

The chipmunk reluctantly put her back down. "Thank you."

Jeanette smiled shyly. "You're welcome. But..."

"But?"

"What do we tell the others? Simon? Brittany?"

* * *

"Simon!"

Simon kept walking, even when Alvin continued calling after him. But he stopped when he heard Jeanette's voice.

But he didn't listen when they tried engaging him in small pleasantries. He didn't respond when they tried getting him to talk. He didn't want to hear any of it. He stared at Jeanette instead, waiting, wanting her to tell Alvin to bug-off then take his hand and they walk home together.

She didn't. She took Alvin's hand instead.

Simon will be honest—that hurt.

"What…" he didn't really know what he was asking.

"Simon," Jeanette's watery voice pulled him up short. "I-I'm sorry. Alvin and I t-t-talked it over a-and…he and I…"

"Simon, we're together," Alvin said, helping her along.

Simon looked at Jeanette. The amount of hurt confusion in his voice almost was too much for the chipette but she stood her ground. She even went so far as to let go of Alvin's hand and take a step closer to Simon.

"Simon…please listen." Jeanette took a deep breath and tried again. "Alvin and I have—we've gotten to know each other more these past few weeks, and—a-and after hearing what he has to say, I'm—we are going to give this a try."

Simon laughed. It was a short, harsh laugh with no humor. No happiness. It was filled instead with disbelief and anger.

"Jeanette, listen to me." Simon stepped closer to Jeanette too until they were face-to-face. Alvin fought the urge to intervene, but this was Jeanette's battle. She reserved the right to change her mind. She should hear all arguments.

"I care about you. I do. I might have been too quiet, maybe—maybe not too brave, but that doesn't mean my feelings are any less. I do care. I want to take you out, be your boyfriend. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner. Choose me. You and Alvin don't make sense. We do. We should be together. Please."

Jeanette didn't voice her thought— _Yeah, me too_. "I…" Jeanette looked back at Alvin. The resignation on his face told her it was her choice. He was willing to accept the broken heart. The question was, which heart would Jeanette be breaking tonight?

"Simon," Jeanette near whispers, "I choose Alvin." Simon opened his mouth to protest but Jeanette pushed through. "I know, I _know_ we don't make sense, but it doesn't mean we wouldn't be good together, Alvin and me. I-I did like you Simon. B-B-But I want to explore this with Alvin. He's…" Jeanette decided not to go into all the details of why she was choosing Alvin over his brother. He might not be too keen on hearing the reasons.

She chose a different path. "Who says we can't work? It's not predestination, our relationships. I can like Alvin, and you can like someone else too. Simon you've been one of my best friends over the years, and I don't want to lose your friendship, but do we have to end up dating because we make sense? Find someone that lights your fire, that makes you feel giddy inside and anxious to be around. Just please...please don't throw guilt and blame around. Neither of us wants to lose you."

Alvin stepped forward at this. He retook her hand. "Please, Simon? We want your support in this. C'mon, bro. Think back. I really do like her. Haven't you seen it?"

Simon had seen it. He just didn't acknowledge it. It was too absurd of a thought to actually entertain. But there it was, staring at him.

Now it came down to whether or not he believed it. Whether or not he acknowledged it.

Simon ground his teeth. He looked away, looked at them, then looked away again. And then back at them. "It's going to take me a while to be ok with this," he said through those gritted teeth.

Alvin and Jeanette briefly glanced at each other in disbelief then turned back to Simon, nodding. "Take your time." Jeanette said the same time Alvin said "Yeah, of course."

"And I won't always be able to be in the same room as you guys."

"I wouldn't wanna look at me either if you got the girl."

Jeanette yanked Alvin's ear for that comment. He smiled sheepishly.

"And…I won't be ok for a while."

Jeanette took Simon's hand with her other hand. "That's ok. We understand. Especially…I'm sorry I kissed you with no real…that wasn't—I shouldn't have done that."

Simon deflated a little. "It's fine," he said even though it wasn't. "I'll get over it," he said knowing that was the truth.

Jeanette gave his hand one more squeeze before letting go. "Thank you, Simon."

Then Simon chuckled. The morose atmosphere among them made it out of place. At their looks of confusion, Simon indulged them in his secret thought.

"Can I be there when you tell Brittany?" he asked with a laugh.

The look of fear that crossed their faces was enough to make him laugh harder. At least this one had humor in it unlike his earlier one.

* * *

Sure enough, later that night, Brittany nearly breaks all the windows in the house from how loudly she shrieked, " ** _WHAT?!_** " But Jeanette and Alvin get through it, together, much like they will get through everything to come their way, side by side despite the initial disbelief thrown their way. Thankfully, that disbelief settles into acceptance then, finally, support from those around them.


End file.
